"Are you happy?"
The blood runs cold.
Even though I had resolved not to back down regardless of Jang Ilso's reaction, and even though I believed that Jang Ilso could not possibly show genuine hostility towards me.
Just those few words made my blood freeze and my heart sink.
"Gakmyung."
It's a name I've heard countless times. A voice I've listened to for so long. Jang Ilso has called Ho Gakmyung's name countless times.
But the resonance in that voice now was distinctly different from any I'd heard before. At least, Ho Gakmyung could feel it more clearly than anyone else.
"What do you mean by that?"
Jang Ilso's eyes began to constrict Ho Gakmyung.
But Ho Gakmyung did not back down easily.
"Just as I said, I am asking if Ryeonju-nim is enjoying himself right now."
"Ho Gakmyung!"
Jang Ilso's voice rose slightly.
It was only a slight increase, but its significance was not small. The tension that came in an instant made the air taut.
Jang Ilso, staring intently at Ho Gakmyung, covered his face with one hand. Long fingers pressed his face somewhat nervously.
"Did you come to see me at this early hour just to say something meaningless?"
"Is it meaningless?"
When Ho Gakmyung asked calmly, the eyes of Jang Ilso, visible through his fingers, flashed like a fierce wolf.
"Gakmyung..."
"Maybe to Ryeonju-nim it seems trivial now, but to me, it is of utmost importance."
"...Ha ha."
Jang Ilso laughed as if it were absurd.
"You think my enjoyment is more important than the urgency of the situation?"
"Yes."
There was no room for negotiation; not even a needle could fit into a firm answer. Jang Ilso's eyes narrowed involuntarily.
"That's... the conclusion you've come to with that cold, calculating mind of yours?"
"..."
"Hmm? Gakmyung? Answer me. Is that the conclusion you've reached with your clever mind? You're telling me to give up this pressure and become a pig chasing pleasure. Is that your conclusion?"
The emotion in Jang Ilso's eyes was not contempt.
But there was certainly a faint hint of disappointment.
Disappointment...
The eyes that were once filled with firm trust now held disappointment. This whole situation might be something Ho Gakmyung has brought upon himself.
But Ho Gakmyung did not yield to it.
"You call it pressure?"
"..."
"When I first decided to follow Ryeonju-nim, you told me I would be going through hell."
Jang Ilso nodded faintly.
"That was true. It was indeed a path comparable to hell. But I decided to follow you knowing that. But... do you remember what I said back then?"
"You told me to have patience."
"No. I said that being with Ryeonju-nim might be hell, but at least it would be enjoyable."
Jang Ilso fell silent. Ho Gakmyung bit his lower lip.
"The reason I said that back then was not because I am that kind of person. It's because Ryeonju-nim is that kind of person. Back then, Ryeonju-nim was someone who could laugh and mock the enemy even in the midst of hell. But is the current Ryeonju-nim really like that?"
Jang Ilso glared at Ho Gakmyung without answering. No, perhaps it wasn't that he wasn't answering, but that he couldn't.
He must already know.
Someone like Jang Ilso would not fail to understand what Ho Gakmyung was trying to say. If he didn't understand, he wouldn't be reacting so intensely.
"So?"
Jang Ilso's twisted lips revealed white teeth. They were sharp and fierce, ready to snap at any moment.
"What if I'm not enjoying it? What do you want me to do? Should I start enjoying this situation? Or should I just throw everything away and get drunk? Hmm?"
A small sigh escaped Ho Gakmyung's mouth.
This conversation made it clear.
That scene. That day's scene.
Even Ho Gakmyung fears seeing it again in dreams, but Jang Ilso has not escaped from it at all.
"If there's an enemy, you fight."
"..."
"If you can't win with strength, use strategy. If strategy fails, use poison. Dig a terrible trap, take hostages, and make them let their guard down by licking their toes, but always win."
Jang Ilso's face grew colder and harder.
"That was Paegun's way, as I know it."
"..."
"Not running away to find a way out, but struggling to win no matter what, and if you still can't win, just laughing it off—that's the Paegun I knew!"
"Ho Gakmyung!"
Jang Ilso finally shouted. Ho Gakmyung also spoke clearly but desperately.
"What did you see that made you give up even the will to resist? What made Paegun, the Jang Ilso, lose the will to fight and run away?"
Chaeng.
The liquor bottle in Jang Ilso's hand shattered and fell to the floor in pieces. Liquor flowed down his hand. The scent of alcohol spread, unfitting for the situation.
A short silence fell.
That silence seemed to draw a line between the two. It cracked cruelly and coldly.
"You talk so well."
Jang Ilso sighed briefly, shaking off the liquor from his hand.
"What you see and what I see are different."
"Ryeonju-nim."
"If you felt what I felt, you wouldn't speak so easily. Do you understand?"
"Is that so?"
A faint light appeared in Ho Gakmyung's eyes.
Jang Ilso could tell. What was the emotion in those eyes? It wasn't much different from what was in his own eyes at the moment.
"So, you're saying that until now, the Lord has only made enemies out of those he could handle."
Jang Ilso, who had been wiping his hands, suddenly stopped moving.
His viper-like gaze was fixed straight on Ho Gakmyung.
"What did you just say?"
"Did I say something wrong?"
"Gakmyung."
A chilling aura settled on Jang Ilso's face.
"There are lines that must be kept between people. No matter who you are, there are lines you shouldn't cross."
"No. It wasn't me who crossed the line. It was the Lord."
The corners of Jang Ilso's lips curled up. The smile was truly sinister.
"Fine. Continue. Let's see how far you go."
"If the enemy is unbeatable, is giving up the fight the way of Paegun?"
"No. Finding a way is my way. But if you can't find a way, what's the right thing to do? Crash into them recklessly and get smashed to pieces? Should I die quickly because I'll die anyway?"
"Is there really no way?"
"..."
"The Paegun I know wouldn't do that. Even if the chances of winning are one percent, they would find that one percent chance. That's the way of the Myriad Man Manor, the way of Paegun, and the way of Jang Ilso."
"And so now...!"
"Join hands with the Righteous Sects."
Jang Ilso, who had been about to lose his temper, flinched and stiffened.
Once again, a heavy silence filled the space between them. After a long pause, Jang Ilso spoke.
"What... did you just say?"
"Join hands with the Righteous Sects."
"...Ha. Haha."
A hollow laugh escaped from Jang Ilso's lips.
"Do you think that's even possible?"
"If there were no common enemy, it would be impossible. But with a common enemy, it's entirely possible. If they understand the existence of 'him,' they will join hands with the Lord. History proves this."
Jang Ilso fell silent.
"If the probability of winning through fighting is insufficient, then increase the probability of winning. If the goal of Jang Ilso is to increase the chances of winning, then an alliance with them is the most certain way to increase the probability of winning now. So, is there any reason not to consider it?"
As Ho Gakmyung's words continued, the corners of Jang Ilso's eyes twitched.
At the same time, a strange light shone in Ho Gakmyung's eyes.
It was not uncommon for Jang Ilso to show discomfort. After all, he mocked everything.
But the revulsion Jang Ilso showed now was closer to disgust than mere discomfort.
It was the kind of visceral revulsion one might feel towards a snake or an insect. That was the kind of revulsion Jang Ilso was exhibiting now.
After a moment, Jang Ilso pressed his temples and shook his head.
"That's nonsense."
"Lord."
"Gakmyung, Gakmyung. You say you had a sudden dream, but now you're telling a dream-like story. What nonsense are you spouting?"
Jang Ilso chuckled.
"Well, you might be right. It could be one way. But Gakmyung, don't you know them even after seeing them? Would those pigs believe my words in this situation?"
"..."
"No, let's say they believe. Let's say they believe my words. Do you really think they would want to join hands with me?"
Now it was Ho Gakmyung's turn to be silent.
"You know full well that they wouldn't."
Jang Ilso let out a deep sneer.
"Sometimes, grudges surpass reason. There are plenty of people who would rather die than let their enemies live. So... do you really think they would join hands with me just to survive?"
"They are not fools."
"Strategy is something found in books. But people don't live in books."
"..."
"I have countless people who have lost their relatives and sects because of me. Do you think those people would protect my back for the sake of 'righteousness'?"
Jang Ilso's face was twisted with bitterness.
"Ludicrous. An ally who might stab you in the back at any moment is worse than a clear enemy. If you can't keep them underfoot, an equal opponent is meaningless. Why don't you understand that?"
"It sounds strange."
"...Strange?"
"Listening to you, it seems like you would never form an alliance with the Righteous Sects, but you already have in the past, haven't you?"
"..."
"In the past, in Hangzhou, you fought alongside them. So why can't you use the same method now? Is it because the situation has changed? Or..."
Jang Ilso's face hardened slightly.
Unbeknownst to him, Ho Gakmyung was smiling coldly.
"Or have you changed?"
Jang Ilso rose from his seat as if he had heard something unacceptable. But Ho Gakmyung also did not back down.
"Say that again."
"I asked if the Lord has changed."
"You..."
The icy stare of Jang Ilso clashed with the firm gaze of Ho Gakmyung.
It was an unprecedented sight. A confrontation that had never existed before.
Steps that always moved in the same direction were now slightly, but surely, diverging.