The wind brushed against the hem of his robe as it blew past. Chung Myung, with his eyes closed, felt the breeze sweeping over his body.
It was cold.
Although not as harsh as Mount Hua, the mountain winds of Wudang were also not particularly kind. Perhaps this chill was the mountain's warning to those who dare to settle in places where no human should tread. It was as if to say that if one yearns for what they should not, they will eventually lose what they must not.
Feeling a subtle shift in the air, Chung Myung slowly opened his eyes. Standing before him, looking down, was a familiar figure.
"Sago?"
"It's been a while," she said curtly. Chung Myung glanced sideways, taking in the sight of the blue tiles and the clear sky.
On the roof of the pavilion. Indeed, it had been a while since Chung Myung had come up here.
Why was that?
Though he didn't have to think long to know the reason, Chung Myung refused to acknowledge it. Admitting it would mean admitting why he was here now.
Instead, Chung Myung asked quietly, "What brings you here?"
Yoo Iseol looked down at the Wudang scenery below the eaves without answering. A short silence followed, but Chung Myung didn't press her.
Finally, she spoke.
"I had a lot to say."
"..."
"But...," she glanced at Chung Myung, lying on the roof, "I don't think I can say it."
Chung Myung's eyebrow twitched slightly as if something had irritated him.
"So why did you come..."
"Is there really no way?" Yoo Iseol interrupted him.
Chung Myung closed his mouth, feeling something heavy blocking his throat.
"Baek Cheon Sahyung."
"..."
"Is there really no way, even for you?"
For a brief moment, their gazes met in the air. But it was Chung Myung who turned his head away first.
"I'm not omnipotent, you know."
Yoo Iseol's long hair fluttered in the wind. Though her expression remained unchanged, her fingertips betrayed her emotions.
Staring blankly at the distant sky, Yoo Iseol finally spoke.
"You're not like yourself."
"..."
"It's true. But."
A shadow darkened Yoo Iseol's eyes.
"If it were the old you, you would have said you'd find a way."
"..."
"And we would have believed you. Even if it was with some doubt, in the end, we would have."
The sound of her robe brushing against the roof as Yoo Iseol turned echoed in Chung Myung's ears, feeling rough and abrasive.
"I will find a way. I'm not yet the adult you've become."
Soon, Yoo Iseol's presence disappeared.
The sudden absence left Chung Myung feeling not just hollow, but bitter. He let out a short sigh.
"Sahyung."
He could see Cheong Mun's face in the sky, smiling faintly as if looking at him with pity.
"It's really not easy..."
* * *
The wind was blowing even at the towering mountain peak.
Perhaps it was because his arms were so thin compared to his wide sleeves that they fluttered so violently.
'It's cold.'
Baek Cheon smirked.
His body had weakened so much that even this light breeze was difficult to endure. In the past, he would have found it refreshing, but now it felt colder and more piercing than the winds of the North Sea.
Still, Baek Cheon liked this place.
Rather than the warm, visible places below where others' eyes could reach, he preferred this cold, arduous place where no one could see him.
His thoughts wandered to Chung Myung.
Perhaps that was why Chung Myung used to climb to the roof of the pavilion whenever he had the chance. To avoid others' gazes. So that no one would notice the chaotic thoughts filling his mind.
'He too…'
Was that kid feeling something similar to what Baek Cheon was feeling now?
Baek Cheon let out a hollow laugh.
No, it must have been different. It had to be different. Whatever worries Chung Myung harbored back then, at least he had a future ahead of him. He wasn't stuck at the bottom of a hopeless pit like Baek Cheon was now.
The steep mountainside spread out beneath his feet, blackened and scarred by fire, now grotesque.
Of course, it wouldn't stay like this forever. Though it looked like this now, the grass and trees would eventually grow back, and the mountain would slowly regain its original form.
But Baek Cheon couldn't. He was like the collapsed cliff over there, an irreparably broken rock that could never return to what it once was.
But...
'Is that really true?'
Though he tried not to think about it, the conversation from yesterday kept creeping into his mind.
* * *
"What are you talking about?"
When Baek Cheon asked, Jin Geumryong looked back at him silently. His gaze was clear.
"Are you saying there's a way?"
"Yes."
Baek Cheon muttered dazedly, as if struck by something.
"Are you saying there's a way to fix my body?"
Jin Geumryong nodded seriously, his face solemn.
"Yes."
Baek Cheon's face twisted painfully.
"Don't talk nonsense. Both Mount Hua and the Tang family said it was impossible. How could the Southern Edge Sect do it? Are you trying to make a fool out of me…!"
"Get a grip."
Before Baek Cheon could finish, Jin Geumryong cut him off coldly.
"Since when has Mount Hua or the Tang family been such great sects?"
"..."
"Are you saying that just because they can't do it, the Southern Edge Sect can't either? You should know better than anyone that the Southern Edge Sect is far greater and more powerful than them."
Baek Cheon couldn't refute it. His eyes wavered wildly.
"If you want confirmation, I'll tell you again. Even if they can't do it, the Southern Edge Sect can. If we mobilize all of our resources, we can fix your body."
Jin Geumryong looked down at Baek Cheon's withered arm. That pitiful arm, so thin it could barely hold even a light brush.
Baek Cheon's fingers twitched slightly, as if the sight alone was too much for them to bear.
"We can make it so that you can hold a sword again... and practice martial arts once more."
"..."
"If you give up being a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect and join the Southern Edge Sect."
Jin Geumryong's voice was cold. But even Baek Cheon could tell. That voice, which was feigning coldness, held a desperate sincerity.
"This isn't about abandoning the Mount Hua Sect. It's just returning to where you were originally meant to be. You are..."
"Shut up."
"What?"
At that moment, Baek Cheon bit his lower lip hard.
"If you're done spewing nonsense, get lost."
"..."
"I am the acting Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect. Even in this condition, that doesn't change."
The face of Jin Geumryong, who had seemed calm all this time, finally twisted in horror.
"Jin Dong...!"
He almost shouted but barely held back his words, managing to suppress his anger. His face, which had flushed red, quickly turned pale again.
Instead of yelling, he let out a long sigh and approached Baek Cheon, lightly placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Let go. What are you trying to...?"
"Stay still. You can't even resist, can you?"
Jin Geumryong lifted the fallen Baek Cheon. After carefully sitting him against the bed, he stood up without hesitation.
Jin Geumryong, who gave Baek Cheon a cold look, opened his mouth.
"I admit it. I was hasty."
"..."
"But none of it was empty words; it was all sincere. If you make up your mind, the Sect Leader would also warmly welcome you."
"I...!"
"Shut up and listen!"
Jin Geumryong growled, clenching his teeth.
"I'm not saying this because I take your feelings for the Mount Hua Sect lightly. I just want to convey that the Southern Edge Sect also holds genuine feelings for you. To the extent that they would readily hand over a treasured artifact of the sect to someone who may never fully recover!"
"..."
"The choice is yours. If you come back, the Southern Edge Sect and I will handle everything else."
Jin Geumryong, having said all he wanted, turned his body and strode toward the door. He walked out of the room and, slowly but firmly, closed the door.
A moment later, Jin Geumryong's voice came from beyond the closed door.
"Dong Ryong."
"..."
"I am your brother. And the Southern Edge Sect is your family."
Baek Cheon unknowingly clenched his bony hand into a fist.
"Don't forget that."
With the sound of footsteps, Jin Geumryong's presence faded away.
Baek Cheon, who had been staring blankly at the door that Jin Geumryong had closed behind him, lowered his gaze.
A brush that had lost its value because it could no longer be held properly still lay on the floor.
A bitter, weak laugh escaped Baek Cheon's lips.
"Haha..."
It was a laugh full of bitterness and helplessness.
* * *
Recalling the conversation from the previous night, Baek Cheon squinted his eyes against the wind, which made them sting.
The burnt-out mountain beyond the desolate field was still vast and green. So much so that it made lamenting his changed appearance seem trivial.
His heart wavered.
Perhaps... such an opportunity might arise?
"I am the acting Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect."
Whenever such thoughts crossed his mind, Baek Cheon would mutter these words to himself over and over.
This was Baek Cheon's pride, and it was everything to him. But it was also something that would soon disappear.
Yoon Jong or Baek Sang would soon take over that position. Perhaps Chung Myung might even take the lead.
Baek Cheon would gradually step back, whether by choice or by force.
He had never felt regret about it. It was Baek Cheon's wish, and it was only natural for things to flow that way.
It was just... bittersweet.
Wounds would eventually be covered by new skin, and emotions would eventually dull. The sorrow that others felt for Baek Cheon now would eventually fade. He would simply become someone who existed in such a state.
And the brilliance that he lost would shine even more radiantly through others—Yoon Jong, Jo Gul, Yoo Iseol, Tang Soso, Hye Yeon, and...
Baek Cheon looked up at the sky.
It was just bitter that he would have to watch that brilliance from a place where the light no longer reached.
Because there was a time when he, too, had it. A future shining alongside them. Perhaps a future that would have shone even brighter than theirs.
Didn't he let it go himself?
Yes. If he hadn't, he might have had fewer regrets. But because he chose it himself... that's why the regrets lingered even more.
Baek Cheon then let out a low, chuckling sound.
He knew. If he decided to go to the Southern Edge Sect to heal his body, his sahyungs would actually be happy for him. They might even push him forward, saying that affiliations don't matter. No, they definitely would. Because that's the kind of people they are.
But Baek Cheon also knew. That choice would eventually... create a divide between him and his sahyungs. Even if the path didn't split, he would never again be able to live as a true brother among them.
What is right? No, what do I want?
As he alternated between looking at his bony arm and the sky, a voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Ahem. I didn't mean to intrude..."
Startled, Baek Cheon turned around to find someone standing there, a figure who could no longer be considered unfamiliar.
"This is my spot."
"Ah..."
Heo Gong smiled faintly at the startled Baek Cheon.