We Will See Each Other Again Soon (5)
His breath caught in his throat. No—more precisely, the moment he set foot in this grand hall, even the simple act of drawing breath had become a struggle.
Hwang Sae-ak was by no means a timid man. If he had been, he would never have risen to found a major sect like the Danjuhwe in Gangbuk, where the Nine Sects and One Gang kept their eyes wide open and prowled the land.
And yet, the iron-clad courage in his liver and gall had turned brittle the instant he entered this grand hall.
Swallowing dryly, he kept his head fixed and rolled his eyes around to take in his surroundings.
“Splendid” was plainly a word created for places like this.
The ceiling and walls were draped in red and white silk that dazzled the eye, while every corner was crammed with luxury ornaments and elegant porcelain that were visibly expensive at a glance. Even the pillars rising from the center of the hall were engraved with beautiful patterns in gold.
He couldn’t even be sure whether the imperial palace where the emperor lived was this ornate.
But it wasn’t this lavish hall that made Hwang Sae-ak feel small.
Step by step, carrying his tension like a load on his back, Hwang Sae-ak moved forward with utmost care. The moment he reached the edge of the red silk spread over the floor, he sank to one knee.
Then, swallowing hard, he slowly raised his head. His gaze climbed the tall steps before him, and at last came to rest at the feet of a man seated on the jade throne at the top.
Forcing his trembling voice into some semblance of calm, he spoke.
“Hwang Sae-ak, chairman of the Danjuhwe, greets the Alliance Leader.”
When he lowered his head and then looked back up, the man on the throne came into view.
A magnificent robe with golden embroidery, jewels of every color hanging all over his body, skin so pale it looked almost bloodless, and that strange languor carried in both his posture and expression.
If a man could see that face and still not know who stood before him, then he had no right to live with his feet planted in the current Jianghu.
The Alliance Leader of Saperyeon.
The Emperor of All Affairs.
Paegun Jang Il-so.
Hwang Sae-ak’s heart began pounding like mad.
When had he first heard Jang Il-so’s name? Fifteen years ago? Twenty? He couldn’t remember clearly, but it must have been around then.
At first, he had been nothing more than a martial artist who had made a name for himself in Guangxi. But before long, he was notorious throughout all of Jiangnan, and soon after that, he had formed Maninbang and risen to the position of its lord.
It wasn’t so long ago that the excessively grand label of the Five Hegemons of the Jianghu had been attached to the name of Maninbang…….
Alliance Leader of Saperyeon.
He could say it without hesitation: in all the world, there was only one man who had raised his own standing so high in so short a time.
Only Jang Il-so.
“Hmmm.”
The faint, nasal sound that slipped from Jang Il-so’s lips made Hwang Sae-ak flinch and shrink in on himself as much as possible. He couldn’t even bring himself to look directly at Jang Il-so.
Three years ago, even as the lord of Maninbang, Jang Il-so had still been someone he couldn’t dare face. But now, the man before him had become something beyond comparison to that former self.
Only three years.
In those three years alone, Jang Il-so had subjugated every evil faction in Jiangnan beneath him. Those who resisted were slaughtered without mercy, while blades were driven into the backs of those who fled.
He had accomplished the impossible—the unification of the evil factions, a feat no one had ever believed possible.
Three years ago, Jang Il-so had merely been one of the leaders of the Five Hegemons of the Jianghu. Now he was the one who commanded those very leaders as his subordinates. He was the undisputed ruler of evil.
“Hwang Sae-ak……”
At the moment his own name was spoken from those lips, Hwang Sae-ak bowed even lower. He only dared lift his eyes slightly, attempting to look at Jang Il-so, but the towering steps refused to allow even a sidelong glance at that expression.
Flap.
Then Hwang Sae-ak heard the sound of Jang Il-so’s robe whipping through the air beside his ears.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Next came the crisp sound of Jang Il-so slowly descending the steps. Cold sweat began pouring down Hwang Sae-ak’s back.
I should have come sooner.
If he had known Saperyeon would truly seize all of Jiangnan, he would have rushed here long ago, dropped to his knees, and sworn loyalty on the spot. But Hwang Sae-ak had not trusted Saperyeon fully, and so he had hesitated to make his decision.
And now he was paying the price.
He had to surrender everything and wait for Jang Il-so’s judgment. Even if Jang Il-so cut off his head for being late in pledging loyalty, Hwang Sae-ak wouldn’t dare resist. Everything he possessed was now in Jang Il-so’s hands.
Step. Step.
Having descended from the steps, Jang Il-so approached Hwang Sae-ak at an unhurried pace. The jingling of the jewels hanging from him, the whisper of his vast robe, and the soft sound of silk shoes touching the floor all seemed like music leaking from hell.
“Stand up and raise your head.”
“……”
At that voice, coming from directly above his bowed head, chills ran all through Hwang Sae-ak’s body.
It felt like a deadly serpent slithering up his spine. No—perhaps more like a razor blade, honed to perfection, grazing his throat by the barest fraction.
“Now.”
Hwang Sae-ak slowly straightened his legs, rose, and lifted his head. His trembling eyes met Jang Il-so’s, who stood directly in front of him.
He had to force himself to keep from swallowing dryly.
Jang Il-so’s eyes were pale in color, yet so infinitely deep that it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. Hwang Sae-ak realized it then.
This was not a man he could read.
What emotions he held, what thoughts passed through his mind, whether what he showed was favor or hostility…… none of it could be guessed, not even in the slightest.
The only thing one could do before a being who was clearly on an entirely different level was one thing.
“I-I’m a little late, Alliance Leader. P-please punish this foolish one!”
Simply surrender everything and beg for mercy.
And then—
The corners of Jang Il-so’s red lips curved upward with exquisite softness.
“……A little?”
At that cold voice, carrying not a shred of warmth, Hwang Sae-ak felt the blood in his body turn icy.
“It was quite a bit late for ‘a little,’ wasn’t it?”
Hwang Sae-ak’s fingertips began to tremble.
Every rumor he had ever heard about Jang Il-so flashed through his mind. How cruel he could be. How merciless. How utterly…… demonic.
“L-Alliance Leader…….”
Jang Il-so smiled faintly and said, “It’s all right. Really, it is. People are like that. It would be foolish to throw oneself in blindly without thinking. It’s only natural for a person to weigh things, beat the ground a few times, and decide where to place their heart.”
“Th-thank……”
“But listen.”
Then Jang Il-so’s eyes narrowed like a snake’s.
And he reached out, lightly seizing Hwang Sae-ak’s face.
“I don’t want a person.”
He wasn’t putting much force into it. His fingers simply covered Hwang Sae-ak’s face. But in that instant, Hwang Sae-ak was seized by a terror like having his face torn apart by a great beast.
“Hng……”
Through the fingers covering his face, he could see Jang Il-so’s eyes.
Eyes that had been so still and calm only moments ago were now roiling beyond description.
“You’ve been wondering endlessly whether it’s worth following me with that shallow little head of yours, haven’t you? I don’t like people like you. The first ones to stick a knife into my back at the slightest hint of trouble are always cowards like you.”
Hwang Sae-ak’s face turned deathly pale.
He had known he would not be welcomed, but he had never expected such open, brutal persecution. The instant he felt Jang Il-so’s unmistakable hostility, his whole body froze and the backs of his knees nearly gave out.
“What do you think? Would it be better to accept someone who’s still thinking about whether to stab me in the back? Or would it be better to kill him here and now and cut off any future trouble? Which do you think is the wiser choice?”
Hwang Sae-ak started shaking like a leaf in the wind. Jang Il-so’s face, twisted into a smile at the corners of his mouth, was fear itself. It looked as though he might smash his skull or snap his neck at any second.
“L-loyalty! I’ll be loyal! I’ll devote myself to loyalty, Alliance Leader! If you tell me to be a dog, I’ll be a dog! If you tell me to lick your feet, I’ll lick your feet!”
Once again, Hwang Sae-ak was by no means a coward or a groveling man. If his opponent had been anyone else, he would never have said such things, even with a blade at his throat.
But by now his mind had long since been bleached white by a fear too difficult to put into words.
“Just give me a chance! If you’ll only give me the chance to serve the Alliance Leader, I will prove my sincerity no matter what it takes.”
“Hmm.”
Still gripping his face, Hwang Sae-ak cried out desperately, and Jang Il-so slowly lowered the hand holding it. Then this time, he lightly seized Hwang Sae-ak by the throat.
“Wrong.”
“……”
The blood drained from Hwang Sae-ak’s face.
Jang Il-so’s hand on his throat exerted just enough pressure to suggest he was barely restraining the urge to snap it on the spot.
No warning could have been clearer than this. Hwang Sae-ak’s clothes were becoming damp with sweat.
Then Jang Il-so spoke with a meaningful expression.
“I don’t want a person, and I don’t want a dog either. Dogs are loyal, but stupid.”
“Th-then…….”
“I’ll ask you, Hwang Sae-ak.”
“……”
“Can you protect my back?”
Hwang Sae-ak nodded frantically.
“Y-yes! I can! I’ll protect it with my life.”
“No matter what happens?”
“Without fail! I will become the shield that protects the Alliance Leader.”
Jang Il-so stared at him silently. Only after a span of time that felt like eons to Hwang Sae-ak did the red corners of Jang Il-so’s mouth curve into a smile.
“Good.”
“……”
“Remember this, Hwang Sae-ak.”
“Yes! Yes, Alliance Leader!”
“Whatever you did before joining Saperyeon means nothing from this moment onward.”
“……”
“There is only one thing you must remember. You die for me. For me alone. Do you understand?”
“I-I’ll keep it in mind, over and over.”
“That answer was wrong, wasn’t it?”
Jang Il-so’s long, sharp fingernails tapped lightly against Hwang Sae-ak’s cheek.
“Can you do it?”
Hwang Sae-ak’s eyes wavered. But only for a moment; soon, resolve settled into them.
“I will do it.”
“……Then.”
A faint, eerie smile appeared at Jang Il-so’s mouth.
“I, too, shall die for you.”
Hwang Sae-ak, his face white as paper, slowly nodded.
Apparently pleased by that expression, Jang Il-so let go of Hwang Sae-ak’s throat and called out, “Wine!”
“Yes, Alliance Leader!”
The waiting maids hurried over with a tray holding wine and cups.
“Hmm.”
With a smile on his lips, Jang Il-so picked up the bottle and filled the cups.
Glug.
He filled two cups to the brim, then brought his hand back to Hwang Sae-ak’s throat. The long nails slowly scraped over the skin there.
The sensation of those nails digging into his throat was horrifying, but Hwang Sae-ak didn’t even dare flinch. He simply stood there like ice, waiting for Jang Il-so’s judgment.
Drip, drip.
Red blood ran down his neck. Jang Il-so lifted the blood-soaked fingers over the cups.
Plink!
One drop of blood fell into one cup, and another drop fell into the other.
Slash!
He flicked his hand to shed the blood from his fingers, then used his nails to cut his own finger. This time, Jang Il-so’s blood dripped into the cups as well.
Drip.
Having mixed blood into both cups, Jang Il-so smiled and extended one toward Hwang Sae-ak.
“Drink.”
“I-I wouldn’t dare……”
“This is……”
Jang Il-so paused briefly.
As if demanding that Hwang Sae-ak remember the next words forever.
“The blood you will one day shed for me, and the blood I will one day shed for you.”
“……”
“What will you do?”
Lips lightly bitten, Hwang Sae-ak accepted the cup Jang Il-so offered him. And without the slightest hesitation, he drained it in one go.
“Good.”
Jang Il-so, equally satisfied, tossed back the remaining cup of wine into his own mouth.
“From this moment on, the name Danjuhwe no longer exists. There is only Hwang Sae-ak of Saperyeon.”
Hwang Sae-ak dropped to his knees and prostrated himself there. Then he bowed so deeply it seemed as though he might burrow into the floor.
“I offer this life to you, Alliance Leader.”
“A truly splendid gift.”
Jang Il-so patted Hwang Sae-ak’s shoulder and gave him a kind smile, as though everything from moments before had been an illusion.
“Come now. One cup of wine isn’t enough. Let’s drink through the whole night.”
“Yes!”
“Good. I’m in a wonderful mood. Hahahahahahahaha.”
Jang Il-so’s great laughter thundered through the hall.
It was the moment the evil faction Danjuhwe of Gangbuk pledged complete submission to Saperyeon…… no, to Jang Il-so.