Eight Corners Society (13)
Eight Corners Society (13)
"I heard you've been trying hard to get close to our brother lately."
"Now that we've become acquainted, isn't it only natural to make an effort to get closer?"
Mu Song, third in rank within the Eight Trigrams Association, looked Docheol over. Docheol had a tall, imposing build and a face that easily won favor with anyone. On top of that, he was always surrounded by women and his martial arts skill was first-rate. Putting factional politics aside, even from a man-to-man standpoint, he was a fairly likeable fellow.
Docheol amiably poured wine into Mu Song's cup. As the heated liquor steamed and gurgled into the cup, Mu Song mulled over why Docheol had called him here. What could have prompted him to request this private meeting?
Before Mu Song could voice his thoughts, Docheol spoke.
"It is not only Great Hero Hwang Ryong-seong I wish to befriend. While I hope to emulate Great Hero Hwang Ryong-seong's ambition to lead the martial world, from you, Great Hero Mu Song, I wish to learn character and dedication to the martial arts."
Mu Song's shoulders trembled. Docheol was a promising figure within the Eight Trigrams Association, where talent came in many forms. For such a man to hold him in high regard was a rather pleasant feeling. His lips curled upward, and Mu Song said,
"With Senior Brother Gyeong Hwi and Senior Brother Hwang Ryong-seong above me, you flatter me too much."
"I do not think Great Hero Mu Song is any less than them."
"Hahahaha!"
Laughter spread. Deep down, Mu Song had been sensitive about the term 'third in rank.' Docheol's phrasing had a knack for gently setting aside such anxieties and building goodwill. Mu Song said,
"So, do you want something from me?"
"How could I have any such wish? All I want is to get along better with the Eight Trigrams Association and to maintain good relations in the future. That is all."
Mu Song shook his head at Docheol's words, full of confidence, and pressed further.
"You joke too much. No one with such a modest wish would request a private meeting like this. What do you truly want?"
Those who harbored ambitions of their own possessed a fair amount of insight. Even if they could not see several moves ahead, when someone hid their true intentions right before their eyes, they knew how to dig them up and demand an honest answer. Docheol was skilled at steering such people's conversations exactly where he wanted.
As if he had no choice, Docheol said,
"In the future, who do you think will lead this martial world?"
Mu Song could not answer easily. As a member of the Eight Trigrams Association, a certain name should have sprung to mind at once, but he merely chewed his lips and swallowed his thoughts. A brief silence passed, and sensing the mood turning strange, Mu Song forced a laugh and said,
"...Naturally, it would be our brother, wouldn't it?"
"That's not something we can know for certain, is it? The Eight Trigrams Association cannot last forever. One day, this organization will fracture, and each of us will thrive in our own place. At that time, everyone becomes a competitor, all striving toward the peak. Is that not so?"
Mu Song could not bring himself to nod. But he could not dismiss it outright, either. He had never truly thought about it, but the idea of the martial world's peak shimmered before Mu Song's eyes like a mirage. That illusion was shaking Mu Song's heart.
"...Yes, that's true."
"When that time comes, I believe you, Great Hero Mu Song, will be the one who rises the highest. It is not just me. The Zhuge Family thinks the same."
Mu Song started at the mention of the Zhuge Family. His shoulders flinched, and then he looked at Docheol again. In a cautious, lowered voice, he asked,
"Didn't your side's ties with the Eight Trigrams Association make things awkward with the Zhuge Family?"
Docheol shook his head and said,
"I'm not sure why you would say such a painful thing. I joined the Eight Trigrams Association in order to invest in a great hero like you, Great Hero Mu Song, who can lead the martial world in the future. Besides, how could the Zhuge Family, who once sided with the Imperial Household, openly build ties with the Eight Trigrams Association?"
"...That is true."
An image took shape in Mu Song's mind: himself, backed by the Zhuge Family, rising and finally breaking free of the Eight Trigrams Association's shadow to reach the martial world's pinnacle. Docheol said,
"I am not telling you to betray the Eight Trigrams Association, nor to take any immediate action. As you understand, we are simply investing in the future. For the great man who will one day lead the martial world."
A great man who will lead the martial world. Not merely ending as one pillar among the Nine Sects One Gang, but a person who rises to a position like the Murim Alliance Leader and manipulates the world under heaven. The longing for the pinnacle that every martial artist dreams of surged up from Mu Song's dantian, swelling within him.
Mu Song laughed. Like a man being caressed, his face flushed bright red and he broke into a wide, beaming smile. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his eyes opened wide as he looked at Docheol and said,
"...I understand what you mean."
Docheol also smiled brightly and said,
"It was a pleasant time."
After the conversation ended, Docheol immediately packed his things. Seeing him prepare to leave in a hurry, Mu Song asked,
"Do you have somewhere urgent to go?"
Docheol nodded and answered,
"I promised to enjoy the lakeside with my wife tomorrow."
"Your love for your wife is truly deep."
"Wouldn't you say that's the secret of my success?"
Docheol made a show of it and moved off into the distance. Mu Song remained in his seat for a while, mulling over Docheol's words along with his wine cup. The pinnacle of the world under heaven. The peak of the martial world. Words that had seemed so distant now felt as if they were right before his nose.
******
"...Explain it again."
Eun Ho-seol looked at the cards and frowned. She had been told you just needed to match pictures and characters in specific combinations to play, but for someone not from the Central Plains like her, yeopjahui was still far too difficult. Docheol sympathized with her difficulty.
After all, he too had received a crash course from someone in the Zhuge Family for this operation, learning a game he had never played in his life. Just memorizing the pictures, arranging the cards by the rules, and grasping the flow had taken him an entire day.
Naturally, Seon-go, who had spent her whole life shut away in her room, could not possibly have played such a game either. So she, too, had to take a crash course from the Zhuge Family alongside Docheol, and at the thought of playing a newly learned game with others, her eyes burned even hotter.
"I win!"
In a situation where Eun Ho-seol had no idea what to do, the first round ended. Eun Ho-seol, still looking at the cards with a puzzled expression, contrasted sharply with Seon-go, who threw her arms up and shouted that she had won.
Docheol put down his cards, and Seon-go, face full of triumph, placed her hands on the table and said,
"I won!"
"As expected, you are good at this, madam."
As that friendly exchange took place, Eun Ho-seol's face darkened once again. Though it was a perfectly normal conversation and there was no reason she should feel left out, she still felt bad whenever such a situation arose. Seon-go glanced at Eun Ho-seol's face and said to Docheol,
"Oh, it's because you taught me so well, Docheol. That's right. Madam Eun, how about Docheol teaches you personally? I'm not very good at teaching...."
Seon-go said this and pushed her chair back a little. Docheol looked at Eun Ho-seol at those words. For a fleeting moment, both Eun Ho-seol and Docheol looked at each other with the eyes of opportunists. Not so much with the determination to learn yeopjahui, but with eyes that anticipated what might happen the moment their bodies drew close for the lesson.
They looked at each other like mirrors, and then, without a word, they nodded. At that, Seon-go turned away in her chair as if she knew nothing and said,
"Then I'll go to the next room for a moment and ask if they need anything."
Seon-go moved away. Docheol grinned a sly smile and approached Eun Ho-seol's side. He came right up against her, wrapped his arm around her, and began explaining, pointing to each card one by one.
"This one is..."
Of course, Eun Ho-seol's ears did not take in a single word of that explanation. The cards shaped like bamboo, the cards with east, south, west, north written on them, the cards with numbers. Cards with strange shapes. Docheol calmly explained which combinations each card was used in. He was clearly explaining in a language she understood, yet only his fingers, voice, and breath registered; she could not make out the words. Eun Ho-seol, in truth, had no interest in the rules. She wished he would hold her hand the way he always did when they met and whisper sweet words to her.
She wished he would send her signals of love, secretly, behind Seon-go's back.
Even now, Eun Ho-seol and Docheol were close. But Eun Ho-seol wanted to go further than this. She carefully touched a card with her finger and gauged Docheol's reaction. Then she poked his wrist with her own finger and asked,
"...The card. Uh, how do you hold it?"
A stupid question. Even as she asked it, Eun Ho-seol felt her face flush hot. Docheol laughed at the question. With eyes steeped in desire, he scanned Eun Ho-seol's body, then shifted his gaze to her hand. And he wrapped her hand, along with the card, tightly in his and whispered,
"You hold it like this."
Time seemed to slow.
Eun Ho-seol's face flushed bright red, and her pupils caught Docheol's profile.
Her head tingled and her heart pounded so hard she could not steady herself.
Docheol's other hand naturally wrapped around Eun Ho-seol's waist. Their bodies pressed together, and their gazes seemed about to meet.
Eun Ho-seol and Docheol were looking at each other.
In the fleeting moment their eyes were locked without a word, Eun Ho-seol closed her eyes.
A warm, ticklish sensation brushed over her lips.
A sweet scent wafted as his breath drew near.
Once, twice. Lightly, lips met and parted, breath pushed in, and she opened her eyes faintly. Face to face, gazing directly at each other, the instant Eun Ho-seol slightly parted her lips—
"Docheol. How is it?"
Seon-go suddenly came in and spoke.
Eun Ho-seol, startled, pushed Docheol away while simultaneously covering her own face and clutching her chest.
Her heart was pounding.
Racing like mad, it tormented her.
The frustrating feeling of being interrupted at the crucial moment swirled within her, whispering to her.
Let's come again next time.
Let's do it again.