Life Is Pain, After All (2)
White smoke continuously spilled from a small incense burner, filling the room so completely that it was nearly impossible to see.
Lazy breaths rose and fell at a sluggish pace, and the stench of alcohol hung thick in the air.
An eerie atmosphere that seemed not quite of this world drifted through the room, dimly lit by a single lamp.
Step. Step. Step.
Then, a firm set of footsteps that did not match the mood sounded from outside, and a short, cold voice soon pierced through the door.
"Bangju. I have returned after completing my mission."
There was no answer.
After waiting in silence for quite some time, the one outside gave a curt order.
"Open it."
"B-but, Bangju said…"
"Open it."
"...Yes."
When the tightly shut door swung open, the white smoke crammed into the room surged outward in a rush.
The pungent scent pricked at the nose, and Ho Gamyeong faintly frowned.
"Mm."
As the smoke thinned a little, the scene inside came into view: several people had sprawled wherever they pleased and fallen asleep. A small brazier kept vomiting smoke amid spilled liquor and unconscious bodies.
And at the center of it all, laid out somewhat unnaturally on a large gold-lined bed, was the person he knew all too well.
Ho Gamyeong let out a quiet sigh.
"Wake up."
The ones collapsed on the floor, sunk in deep sleep, did not seem to hear him at all and did not move.
"We'll see whether you keep sleeping even after your head falls off."
Maybe they heard that much after all.
One by one, the people lifting their heads spotted Ho Gamyeong standing at the door and went pale, their bodies trembling.
"S-strategist…"
"Get out."
"Yes!"
They flinched in terror and scrambled to their feet. Still groggy from drink, they lurched around blindly in their haste, tumbling across the floor, tangling up with one another, and turning the room into a complete mess.
After confirming that they had all spilled out of the room, Ho Gamyeong exhaled and ordered, "Take out the brazier."
"Yes, Strategist."
The men who had followed him entered the room, carefully lifted the brazier, and carried it out.
Then, as though they had done this many times before, they skillfully cleaned the floor and flung open the windows and doors to air the room out.
"That's enough."
"Yes!"
As soon as Ho Gamyeong finished speaking, they bowed deeply and filed out of the room in perfect order.
At last, Ho Gamyeong stepped fully inside and stood before the gold-lined bed.
"Bangju."
"…."
"Bangju."
"Mm?"
Jang Il-so, who had been lying on the bed that looked impossibly soft, slowly lifted his head. He frowned and looked around at his surroundings.
"Gamyeong."
"Yes, Bangju."
"It's cold. Close the door."
Jang Il-so pulled the blanket up and tucked himself in carefully. Another deep sigh escaped Ho Gamyeong.
"Bangju. If you keep doing this in broad daylight, it dulls your dignity as a leader."
"…You show up and start nagging immediately."
"I did tell you before…"
"You talk nonsense. I hate boredom. Even if I know I have to wait, I still hate waiting."
"You need to get up."
"Ugh."
Now that Ho Gamyeong was here, it was clear sleep was hopeless. Jang Il-so stopped muttering, threw off the blanket, and sat up in place.
At that, the maids waiting outside entered with cautious steps. The maid in the lead held out a pipe with both hands, and Jang Il-so took it and put it to his lips.
"You mustn't become too absorbed in Mongyeon."
"I know, I know."
"I'm not saying that because I'm worried about you, Bangju. That kind of smoke couldn't do anything to you. But the others are different."
"Didn't I say I know? Ugh. You've really gotten more and more talkative."
Jang Il-so waved a hand and shuddered theatrically.
At that, Ho Gamyeong lowered his head with an air of apology.
Even then, the maids stayed close to Jang Il-so and busied themselves dressing him. They soaked silk in the clean water brought in a basin and wiped his face clean, then carefully combed out his disheveled hair.
It was when a maid gently used the silk to wipe around Jang Il-so's eyes that he spoke.
"That hurts. Go easier."
"B-b-Bangju! I-I deserve death…!"
Instantly, the maid went deathly pale and began trembling like a leaf, pleading for her life. At the sight, Jang Il-so let out a scoffing breath, as if incredulous.
"Why are you shaking like that? Why? Do I look like I'm going to eat you alive?"
"I-I was wrong! Please forgive me just once. Please…"
"…Are you new here?"
"Pardon?"
Jang Il-so sighed heavily and shook his head.
"I don't know what they tell the new girls outside, but every time I clear my throat they act like I'm about to strike them down."
"What else would they hear? Just the truth, as it is."
"Then there's no reason to be scared. Child, don't be frightened. I'm a very kind man."
"Y-yes! Yes, Bangju. Thank you so much…"
Jang Il-so chuckled lightly and patted the maid's head with the delight of one brought back to life from the dead. Then he slowly spread both arms. The maids waiting behind him removed the white robe he wore.
"…."
For an instant, Ho Gamyeong let out a low breath at the sight before him.
It was a truly perfect body.
Jang Il-so's bare form, usually hidden beneath several layers of silk and rarely ever seen, could only be described as perfection.
His body was slightly lean, yet harmoniously balanced as though carved by a master artisan, and the solid muscles set beneath that frame made even Ho Gamyeong—who had seen countless martial artists—quietly marvel. No matter how many times he saw it, it remained awe-inspiring.
Unfortunately, anyone seeing this body for the first time would not pay attention to that at all. No—rather, they would not be able to pay attention to it.
Because their eyes would go first to the scars covering it without a single gap.
The sight, drenched in cruel scars, looked at a glance like dozens of black snakes had wound around him and bitten into his flesh. Scars that looked as though they had been carved by a beast's claws. Scars pierced by something sharp. And that was not all. Slashed by swords, cut by blades, scraped by spears, torn by hands…
Every kind of scar that existed in the world had been carved into that body.
Jang Il-so wore those scars like they had been deliberately etched in as tattoos, and he blinked his languid eyes slowly as he looked at Ho Gamyeong.
It was an appalling pressure. Even Ho Gamyeong, who had served Jang Il-so for more than ten years, briefly stopped breathing.
The true face of Paegun Jang Il-so, hidden behind his dazzling silk robes.
Every one of those scars recorded the thorny road Jang Il-so had walked until now. A path with no backing, no one to aid him, a path on which he had seized the name of Paegun with his bare hands, founded Maninbang, and then raised Maninbang high enough to stand among the Five Hegemons of the Jianghu.
The maids finished gently wiping Jang Il-so's body with silk and began dressing him.
They clothed him in a blood-red robe embroidered with a golden dragon, then placed a golden crown upon his head. After that came ornaments for both wrists and all his fingers. Only when they had finally applied bright red lip color did the image of the Paegun Jang Il-so Ho Gamyeong knew so well stand complete.
"Hmm."
Leaning idly on the bed as always in his flamboyant attire, Jang Il-so regarded Ho Gamyeong with a steady gaze.
"Well? What happened?"
"Mount Hua annihilated one of the water forts."
"Hahahahahaha."
Jang Il-so covered his mouth lightly with one hand and giggled.
"Those kids really are impatient. I knew they would come, but to think they'd move this quickly."
"Thanks to that, the plan moved up. The Mount Hua Divine Dragon, who destroyed Daegyeong Fort, has also annihilated Heuksa Fort."
"…That quickly?"
"Something happened a little differently from our expectations. It seems the Mount Hua Divine Dragon dragged Green Forest along with Mount Hua."
"Good heavens. What in the world does that bastard eat to grow like that?"
With only a few words of report, Jang Il-so quickly grasped the situation and shook his head from side to side.
"He's really like a venomous snake, a venomous snake. Handle him wrong and he'll bite me too. Hmm. Fine, whatever. And the cleanup?"
"Handled cleanly."
Jang Il-so clicked his tongue and extended a hand, and a waiting maid carefully placed a cup filled with liquor into it. He clicked his tongue again as though genuinely regretful and even shook his head a little, sighing.
"Hmm. What a pity. Did you send plenty of money back to his hometown?"
"We gave enough money for his family to live extravagantly for the rest of their lives."
"Well done."
Jang Il-so took a sip of the liquor and twisted the corner of his mouth.
"In truth, a person's life amounts to no more than a single coin, doesn't it? Yet if he gave his life in exchange for a fortune, he probably won't feel too cheated. Right?"
"Naturally."
"If word gets out that money has been made, flies may come buzzing around, so send some men to keep an eye on things."
"I will."
Ho Gamyeong lowered his head slightly in response.
This was Jang Il-so's way.
He did not think much of sacrificing someone for his own purposes. But when it came to payment, he was almost absurdly generous. And once he considered the matter settled, he cleanedly forgot even that much.
The people sacrificed for this plan had already vanished from Jang Il-so's mind at this very moment. He never looked back at the past.
"It was faster than expected, but cleaner than expected too. Good. This is how Mount Hua should be. Hahahahahaha!"
Amused, Jang Il-so suddenly sprang to his feet.
"Gamyeong!"
"Yes."
"Send the prepared messenger!"
"Should we act immediately? I think we ought to wait a little longer."
"Yes, liquor does fetch a better price the longer it ages. But if you let it sit too long, the fresh taste disappears. Every matter has its proper time."
Jang Il-so slowly traced his lips with the tip of his index finger.
"The shortage of time will be filled by the time the messenger arrives. Now is the right moment."
"Understood."
"Hahahahaha!"
Jang Il-so's eyes flared as if caught in a fierce wind.
"I've waited so long. So long… for this one instant. I'm sick and tired of waiting now."
A grinding sound slipped from between Jang Il-so's smiling red lips.
Nothing pained him more than waiting. And yet, he was also a man who could endure deeper than anyone else under heaven.
If a moment's impatience kept him from getting what he wanted, then the pain of waiting would be nothing compared to the far greater agony that would follow. Jang Il-so hated waiting, but he was also a man who absolutely had to take what he desired into his own hands.
And at last.
The time had come to bring this long, long waiting to an end.
"Thanks to Mount Hua, the plan's moved forward by ten years. How could that not be lovely? That's right. Only then will it be worth the trouble of spitting out the bastard that entered my belly and sending him off alive! Wahahahahahahaha!"
The erupting laughter shook the grand hall as though it might tear it apart.
Even the clinking of the ornaments hanging from his body added to it, making the scene all the more grotesque and uncanny.
A faint smile bloomed on Ho Gamyeong's lips as he watched.
The world will never guess.
No, even if it did find out, it wouldn't matter.
A great fire that burns a mountain to the ground over days and days begins as nothing more than a tiny spark. Toss that spark into dry brush, and you can burn the whole mountain down.
Once the fire starts, what matters is putting it out—not who struck the match.
And soon, the fire would be lit.
The brush known as the jianghu was already so dry that even the smallest spark would set it ablaze.
"I will proceed with the next phase."
"Hmm."
Jang Il-so's eyes gleamed strangely.
"Gamyeong. Gamyeong."
"Yes, Bangju."
"What is the Mount Hua Divine Dragon doing right now?"
"…He is staying on that island and not coming out."
"Keep watch."
"Pardon?"
At the unexpected order, Ho Gamyeong lifted his head and looked at Jang Il-so, trying to gauge his intent.
"He's a man you never know what he'll do. If he throws things off because of this, I don't want even a fingertip slipping past us."
A strange light flickered in Ho Gamyeong's eyes.
Was Mount Hua's role not finished by now?
He had thought they had been left alone because there was something they needed to do. And now they had done it, and there was nothing more left for them. So why was that name coming again from Jang Il-so's mouth?
For Jang Il-so, who never looked back on the past, this was unusual.
Then…
For Jang Il-so, Mount Hua… no, the name Mount Hua Divine Dragon itself, had not disappeared after serving its purpose?
"Your answer?"
"…I understand, Bangju."
"Good. Then shall we go enjoy the flowers today?"
Jang Il-so rose from his seat and walked out with a hum under his breath. Ho Gamyeong watched his retreating figure, his expression somewhat subdued.
I can't tell.
He was far too small a being to fully guess the picture that giant would paint.