Is There Anyone in the World Who Knows Me? (15)
Is There Anyone in the World Who Knows Me? (15)
It was a day of brilliant sunshine. All was well.
Thanks to Jong Yuseop's catastrophic blunder, the Zhongnan Sect was reeling, and Venerable Geumbok's standing was plummeting to rock bottom.
I sat back in my chair, savoring the joy of it all.
Heundeul-heundeul — with every slight movement of my body, the chair rocked gently like a hammock. I closed my eyes and let the breeze wash over me. In the sound of the wind, I sensed Sannyeo's presence drawing near. She sat beside me and asked,
"Is it over now?"
I shook my head. Though she always pretended to be cold and indifferent, now that Venerable Geumbok's demise was imminent, she seemed to be growing restless. I leaned forward, making the chair sway a little more, and said,
"No. Jong Yuseop isn't dead yet."
"What are you going to do now? Are you going to torment him to death?"
The question was less a request for information and more a pressing demand. Facing her tilted head and questioning stare, I curled the corners of my mouth and said,
"No, I'll finish him with the next blow."
My thoughts drifted back to the time I went over the concrete plan with Zhuge Yeong-yu. We had rented a small room and sat facing each other at a round table. Zhuge Yeong-yu had been observing my scheme with keen interest.
*********
"So, let's say this whole affair shakes up Jong Yuseop's and Venerable Geumbok's standing. How does Jong Yuseop actually die? No matter how weak-willed a person is, he wouldn't perish from just that."
I nodded at Zhuge Yeong-yu's words. While Jong Yuseop was so fragile a man that he suffered internal injuries from being jilted by a woman, he wouldn't drop dead simply because he botched a job. Still, it was certain he would be pushed to his psychological breaking point.
"Therefore, a finishing blow is necessary. And for that, the cooperation of the authorities is required."
Zhuge Yeong-yu flinched briefly at those words. Then his eyes lit up, and he asked,
"The cooperation of the authorities, you say?"
*********
"E-elder Venerable Geumbok is going to Chang'an? Ah, n-no, what do you mean?"
Jong Yuseop cried out, his face ashen. Jonghwan also wore a deeply troubled and regretful expression. He was a master who had transcended the peak realm, but he was utterly powerless in matters where justification held sway.
"We have no justification to stop this. The authorities are investigating those involved in the incident—what right would we have to block that? If the Zhongnan Sect were to protest their actions now, we would face nothing but more jeers, branded a den of thieves."
"B-but...! The elder is far too old to undergo such an investigation..."
Jong Yuseop's face turned stark white. He staggered as if he might collapse at any moment, and Jonghwan moved to support his body. Then, in a low voice, he said,
"Yuseop-ah. Calm yourself. Are you trying to collapse again?"
"I-is it not my fault... I-I failed... H-how much must the elder resent me?"
Jonghwan spoke carefully, as if soothing a child, and stroked Jong Yuseop's back.
"He will not resent you. Do not worry. There is no evidence linking the old man to that bastard. The others involved were all newcomers to the sect, so we can easily slip out of this. We have already agreed to say that the new disciples simply went astray."
But despite these reassurances, Jong Yuseop could not shake his anxiety. If anything, a stronger sense of guilt and agony constricted his chest.
The man he had followed like a father—he had sent him off to Chang'an.
Because of his own mistake.
Because he was incompetent.
Jong Yuseop felt as though his heart were being torn apart.
******
"Then we will certainly be able to seize Venerable Geumbok. You said you would kill Jong Yuseop, but have you devised a plan for capturing Venerable Geumbok?"
I shook my head. Zhuge Yeong-yu seemed content with merely capturing and confining Venerable Geumbok, but that wasn't nearly enough. To begin with, the grounds to detain and hold him were insufficient.
"It is only an investigation; it's uncertain whether they can actually be detained. The only evidence tying them to the Zhongnan Sect comes from us killing the bandit gang and capturing them—we might not even hear testimony related to Venerable Geumbok. Furthermore, even if we capture them alive, what if they keep their mouths shut? What if, because the ones we caught are new recruits, they are dismissed as wayward young disciples, and the Zhongnan Sect simply says they will 'self-reflect'? Are you planning to slaughter the entire clan?"
Zhuge Yeong-yu frowned. It was impossible to seriously damage the Zhongnan Sect with this level of evidence. It would harm their reputation, but the sect's influence in Shaanxi was simply that immense.
"You have a point. So, does Venerable Geumbok then return to Mount Zhongnan?"
"He will not be able to return. Because that is where the real blow comes from."
"A blow?"
********
Jonghwan's face was gradually brightening. He had received word that Venerable Geumbok, who was under investigation in Chang'an, was living very quietly, and that the inquiry was turning up no particular suspicions.
Within the Zhongnan Sect, everyone already expected that Venerable Geumbok would return safely. With his business acumen and ability to draw capital, restarting the operation from a different angle would be child's play. So Jonghwan thought.
But on the contrary, Jong Yuseop trembled even more at the news of Venerable Geumbok's impending return. He was now unable even to leave his bedroom, spending most of the day wrapped in his blanket. He was terrified of what Venerable Geumbok would say to him when he returned.
If he were told he was no longer needed for the operation, he felt he could not endure it any longer.
"Ueok...! Eueuk...!"
Acid reflux burst from his mouth again. Having eaten nothing for days, Jong Yuseop spat water into a basin and crawled back under the blanket, shivering. Whenever he went outside, everyone looked at him with pity in their eyes.
He hated that gaze more than he hated being despised.
*******
"Think about it. A person that introverted and fragile—what would he think when the man he regards as a father is dragged away? If he himself created a crisis that nearly destroyed the entire family clan, just how cornered would he be?"
Zhuge Yeong-yu didn't answer. He only furrowed his brow and said this:
"...That is a dreadful thing."
He seemed to have suddenly empathized with Jong Yuseop. For someone reasonably strong-willed himself to react this way, it was obvious how agonizing this would be for a fragile person.
"Do you know what's even more dreadful?"
Zhuge Yeong-yu looked at me. I spread both arms and said,
"Being abandoned by the person you regard as a father."
******
In the dark room, trapped inside his blanket, Jong Yuseop could not hide his anxiety. It was an anxiety that could only be mended if Venerable Geumbok returned and told him everything was okay.
As he endured, eating only the bare minimum of food for days, someone beyond the door called out to him.
"Senior martial brother. It is me, Deok-won."
"...What is it?"
"Elder Venerable Geumbok, from Chang'an, has sent something for you, senior brother."
"....The elder did?"
Jong Yuseop sprang up. His face was gaunt, his arms and legs pale, but in this moment, his eyes shone vividly.
"I will leave it by the door."
"Uh, y-yes!"
As soon as his junior brother's shadow disappeared, Jong Yuseop flung the door open. On the rectangular object wrapped in a fine cloth, written in Venerable Geumbok's own handwriting, were these words:
[To Yuseop]
*******
"Send an item from Chang'an under Venerable Geumbok's name?"
"That's right. That's precisely why Venerable Geumbok had to be in Chang'an. If someone imitates his handwriting and an item comes from Chang'an under his name, no one can doubt it. The very person who could verify it is detained there—what could anyone do? Besides, who would find it strange that Venerable Geumbok, who regards Jong Yuseop as his own son, would worry about him and send something?"
"So, what are you sending? What can you possibly send that will kill Jong Yuseop?"
I said,
"I won't send anything."
*******
"Isn't this a food chest...?"
The rectangular object was unmistakably a food chest. The traditional flower carving and the beautiful gloss of the lacquer were exquisite. Judging by its lustrous finish, it was clearly a high-end item from Chang'an.
"Did he send some sweets...?"
As Jong Yuseop thought this, his heart seemed to melt a little. While he had been so foolishly worrying and trembling with fear, Venerable Geumbok had been concerned for him even from remote Chang'an and bought him this delicacy.
Jong Yuseop felt utterly pathetic.
He let out a hollow laugh and opened the lid of the food chest.
"Huh?"
And inside, there was nothing.
An empty food chest.
Only the red silk lining of the hollow chest faced him.
"Uh... uh..."
Jong Yuseop's gaunt face was reflected perfectly on the polished surface.
"Ah, aah...! Aah...! Ah...!"
Jong Yuseop's hands trembled uncontrollably.
"Uh...! Uh uh...! Ah...! Ah eu...!"
His voice refused to come out properly.
He didn't want to understand what this meant.
But he had no choice but to understand.
"Aaah...! Ah...! Euah...! Ah...!"
It was the natural outcome for a person who had done nothing but make mistakes and demonstrate the ultimate incompetence.
"Eueueu...! Ah...! Ah-euk...! Keueuk...! Eueueuk...! Eok...!"
He should accept it as natural, but he could not accept it.
"Keueok...! Eo-eok...! Keuk...! Keueueuk...!"
The pain was as if an iron fist was squeezing his chest. Jong Yuseop fell to his knees on the spot, writhing and rolling across the floor.
"Kkeo-eok...! Eo-eo-eok...! Eueuk...! Euaaah...! Ah...! Eo-eo-eok! Keueuk!"
His body, drained of all energy, convulsed with all its remaining might, letting out agonized groans as it thrashed.
"Aaaak...! E-elder...! Elder...! Eueuk...!"
His limbs flailed violently, and his entire body burned as if on fire.
"Aah...!"
The blood vessels across his whole body swelled. His pale skin flared a bright red. Every time he convulsed, the metallic smell of blood wafted from his mouth.
"Eueueueuk! Aaaaak! Ah-euk! Aaaaak!"
His qi erupted into chaos. He desperately needed to regain control, but his body would not obey.
Jong Yuseop's body curled up like a strip of dried meat, and then—
"Keuaaaaaaaaaak!"
He stretched his body out like a crushed insect and poured blood from all seven orifices.