Back to the Alliance (2)
Guards appeared around Je-gal Hyeon.
Some of them were familiar faces to Baek So-cheon as well. They were the bare minimum for protection, but as the Grand Strategist's escorts, they were the very best.
"It's been a while."
"Please, come in."
On his way back from the Shin-hwa-bang headquarters, he'd stopped by the nearest Po-gang branch to send a messenger pigeon to Hyun-cheon Pavilion. But he hadn't expected Je-gal Hyeon himself to come all the way out here.
"Come inside."
"It's hot—let's talk here."
"As you wish."
The two sat on the bench in the courtyard. Baek So-cheon respected Je-gal Hyeon deeply. During the last war, they'd built unbreakable trust. Je-gal Hyeon believed he'd held back the Black Heaven Alliance because of Baek So-cheon, while Baek So-cheon credited Je-gal Hyeon.
"How's life here treating you?"
"You already know, don't you?"
Je-gal Hyeon chuckled.
"True enough. I know everything."
He received daily reports on everything happening in Mun-seong related to Baek So-cheon.
"Wherever people live, it's all the same. Good folks and rotten ones."
Je-gal Hyeon nodded in agreement.
"Still, Mun-seong was special. If you hadn't come here, Baek Pavilion Lord, there would've been big trouble later on."
"I got lucky."
"Truly fortunate."
What if enemies raised in the rear during the height of war struck from behind? Or if they were trusted with key missions? The thought alone was horrifying.
"The Black Heaven Alliance Lord came to see me himself because he's confident."
"Confident he'll win the war."
Baek So-cheon nodded.
After a moment of silence, Je-gal Hyeon asked Baek So-cheon,
"Got any liquor?"
"Didn't you quit?"
"Let's have a drink. It's been ages."
Je-gal Hyeon had sworn off alcohol during the war's peak. Even after the truce, he hadn't touched a drop. But being with Baek So-cheon today stirred the urge.
"Give me a moment."
Baek So-cheon fetched the liquor, and they shared it.
"Tastes good after so long."
"Sorry it's not the finest."
"Nonsense. For someone like me who knows nothing of fine vintages, it's all about who you drink with."
Perhaps because it had been so long, Je-gal Hyeon's face flushed after a few cups.
"Baek Pavilion Lord, come back to headquarters."
"......"
"I need you."
"Did the Alliance Lord approve?"
"He left it to me."
Asked if approval had come, the answer was delegation. How to take that? It wasn't given freely, that much was clear.
After a pause, Je-gal Hyeon continued.
"To be frank, the Alliance Lord said nothing for or against calling you back."
True to form, the Lord had remained neutral.
When confronting him, Je-gal Hyeon had said:
—Please let me bring Baek So-cheon back. I'll take responsibility for any issues.
The Lord had likely disapproved of the move. He knew the sword had been confiscated, yet here was Je-gal Hyeon asking to reinstate him—practically defiance.
But Je-gal Hyeon had already resolved to bring him back.
With Black Heaven's provocations escalating, Baek So-cheon's absence hit harder, the void growing daily.
Reading Baek So-cheon's latest letter had confirmed it.
The Murim Alliance needed him. No—he needed him.
—Please trust my judgment, Alliance Lord.
He'd pushed this far on faith. The Lord might resent him, but wouldn't cast him out now. It might breed more hatred, though.
Je-gal Hyeon bared his heart.
"I have no confidence fighting this war without you."
Hard words to say. Seeking out a man without inner power so desperately showed his own crumbling assurance.
"I won't be of much help."
"You have the experience of enduring war without it, don't you? Please, help me. I know this plea lacks shame."
If he'd been this desperate, he shouldn't have let him go in the first place. Like everyone else in the Alliance, he'd bowed to the Lord's gaze—selfish now in his urgency, shame overridden.
Baek So-cheon hadn't agreed yet, but Je-gal Hyeon laid out details.
"Ideally, I'd make you Bi-gak Lord or Cheol-geom-dan Leader right away, but internal politics prevent it."
Just bringing him back was a huge risk.
"Instead, I'll create a new unit under Hyun-cheon Pavilion for you to lead. Not a squad, but a full company."
And an extraordinary offer besides.
"You'll have full personnel authority, independent operational command, and immunity."
Other units would complain of favoritism. He'd bear that burden as Hyun-cheon Pavilion Lord. Such political weight just to reclaim Baek So-cheon.
How could Baek So-cheon not see Je-gal Hyeon was staking his career?
Sipping in silence, Baek So-cheon finally spoke.
"Very well. I'll return."
"Ah, thank you. Truly."
Je-gal Hyeon's face lit up. It felt like gaining a heavenly army.
"One presumptuous request."
"Speak."
"Wherever you can go, let me go too."
In other words, access to places pavilion lords frequented freely. Like all sections of the Man-seo-go library or the deepest, no-visitation level of the Alliance's underground prison.
Places once open to him as Bi-gak Lord. Manuals to review, prisoners to meet.
"Done."
Yes—without such privileges, there'd be no point calling him back. Backlash would be fierce, but that was his to bear.
Je-gal Hyeon took his leave.
"I'll go ahead and wait. Hope to see you at headquarters soon."
"Safe travels."
Je-gal Hyeon departed.
Alone, Baek So-cheon sat on the bench, gazing at the moon. A sigh escaped unbidden.
"Hoo."
Je-gal Hyeon hoped he'd return to join the war.
But Baek So-cheon thought differently.
Not winning the war—preventing it altogether.
Whoosh, whish!
In a corner of the training ground, Beon Saeng swung his sword. Sweat poured off him, but he persisted, drilling forms relentlessly.
The arts he'd learned came from his old dojo. Orphaned young, he'd drifted until a rural school took him in.
He'd endured mockery and hardship there, but learned martial arts. Grown strong, he'd barely scraped into the Murim Alliance.
Finishing a set, Beon Saeng spotted Baek So-cheon watching from afar.
"Brother!"
"Good work."
"Compared to your training, mine's nothing. But after so long back at it, I feel stronger—and the mood's great."
"You'll die happy one day."
"Better to burn bright than smolder dull."
As he resumed, Baek So-cheon doused him with water.
"Cool those flames a bit. Bring Im Branch Chief to my place. Things to discuss."
"I'm heading back to headquarters."
Im Choong and Beon Saeng stared in shock.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"In a few days."
"That soon?"
The news hit like thunder. They'd just navigated the Shin-hwa-bang crisis stylishly, ready for smooth sailing. Now this farewell? A bolt from the blue.
"No revenge on Shin-hwa-bang. Don't worry."
Silence fell. Thoughts swirled; words failed. Beon Saeng voiced the rawest instinct.
"Brother! How can you? Leaving us? Please don't abandon us! Take us too!"
"Sure."
Stunned quiet.
Beon Saeng blinked.
"Huh?"
"We'll go together."
"We can?"
"Yes. If you can abandon life here. You'll start as grunts, not squad leader or branch chief. Can you?"
More silence.
Beon Saeng broke it.
"If you're okay with it, brother, I'd follow."
He glanced at Im Choong. Unlike his lone self, Im had family.
Demotion from squad leader was one thing; from branch chief, another—with wife and kid.
Not easy. Beon Saeng figured he wouldn't come. Guilt stung—abandoning shared life to follow Baek So-cheon felt like betrayal.
Im Choong indeed hesitated.
Beon Saeng asked,
"But brother, my skills are weak. Won't I just be a burden?"
"You mistake me. I'm not noble enough to embrace dead weight."
"Then why take me?"
"You're trustworthy."
"......!"
Emotion surged briefly.
"Moderately gullible. Soft-hearted, easy to use."
"Spilling all the recruitment secrets?"
"Fine. That's not your only flaw."
Beon Saeng feigned exasperation but beamed inside. Trustworthy—first reason.
To still-pondering Im Choong, he said,
"Sorry for deciding alone, Branch Chief. Brother."
He assumed no.
But life loves twists.
"If I can bring family, I'll follow too."
Baek So-cheon nodded.
"You can."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Won't we burden you?"
"Family isn't burden—it's strength."
Im Choong's heart swelled at the crisp reply.
"Brother!"
Joy, guilt, shame mingled. Baek So-cheon had voiced his own worries.
Softly, Baek So-cheon said,
"I know your fears. Trust me. No safer there than here."
A loaded hint at war.
Thus, their lives pivoted.
One step further.
"Follow me."
Baek So-cheon led them outside.
"To use you, you need utility."
"No way?"
Beon Saeng's eyes trembled.
"Yes. Sword arts suited to your level. A few forms."
Gift for forsaking their lives.
Two decades in warfields honed Baek So-cheon; he could craft basics on the spot.
He drew Beon Saeng's sword.
Shing.
They focused, missing nothing.
Gazing at the blade, Baek So-cheon's eyes deepened.
"A warrior gripping the hilt also grasps the edge. Never forget."
Advice born of vast experience, profound meaning.
Not fully grasped, but etched in hearts.
"We'll remember always, brother."
One day, they'd understand fully.
Next, Baek So-cheon had Im Choong demonstrate. Beon Saeng, observed earlier, skipped.
Assessing both, he taught seven-form sword arts tailored to them—far superior to their old ones.
"Fresh-made. No name."
"We'll name them, if allowed!"
"Do as you like."
He corrected every stance meticulously. Questions answered in detail.
On martial arts, Baek So-cheon transformed—gruffness and leisure gone, pure focus. They dove in.
Learning, they marveled: Is swordplay this intuitive? Words sank in perfectly.
After transmission and review, Baek So-cheon said,
"Master these, and you won't get beaten everywhere."
"Brother, thank you."
They bowed in unison. Monumental fortune.
"Thanks later. This could kill you."
Beon Saeng replied with rare gravity.
"My fault then—bad choices, lazy practice, botched forms. Unrelated to your teaching. Know this: life's most moving moment. No one's ever done me such a favor."
Tears welled. Orphan grit till now; first true benevolence.
"That's how they hook suckers. A little kindness, and you give youth, life. How the world and sects use the young."
"This sucker's fine."
"One day, not. Never fall for users' favors."
Baek So-cheon tried shattering the awe, but today it was diamond-solid.
"Just this once!"
Baek So-cheon smirked.
"Hooked a proper mark."
Im Choong and Beon Saeng grinned brightly.