"...Happy, you say?"
His blood ran cold.
Even though he had resolved not to back down regardless of Jang Ilso's reaction, and despite believing that Jang Ilso could never truly harbour malice towards him.
Just that brief sentence made his blood freeze and his heart sink.
"Ga Myung-ah."
It's a phrase he has heard countless times. A voice he has listened to for a long time. Jang Ilso has called Ho Gakmyung's name for so long.
But the resonance in that voice now was distinctly different from what he had heard before. At least Ho Gakmyung could feel it more clearly than anyone.
"What do you mean by that?"
Jang Ilso's gaze began to constrict Ho Gakmyung.
But Ho Gakmyung did not retreat easily.
"I mean it literally. I am asking if the Ryeonju-nim is happy right now."
"Ho Gakmyung!"
Jang Ilso's voice rose slightly.
Of course, it was only a little louder, but the significance was not small. The tension that filled the air was palpable.
Jang Ilso, who had been staring intently at Ho Gakmyung, covered his face with one hand. His long fingers pressed against his face somewhat irritably.
"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 revealed between Jang Ilso's fingers gleamed like a ferocious wolf.
"Ga Myung-ah...."
"It may be insignificant to Ryeonju-nim now, but it is very important to me."
"...Ha ha."
Jang Ilso laughed as if he found it absurd.
"Is it important whether I am happy? More so than understanding how the situation is unfolding and how urgent it is?"
"Yes."
There was no room for negotiation, not even enough space for a needle to fit through, in Ho Gakmyung's resolute answer. Jang Ilso's eyes narrowed involuntarily.
"Is that... the conclusion you reached with your cold, calculating mind?"
"...."
"Well? Ga Myung-ah? Answer me. Is that the conclusion you came to with your brilliant mind? Are you saying that instead of enduring this pressure, you want me to become a pig that pursues pleasure? Is that really what you mean?"
The emotion in Jang Ilso's eyes right now is not contempt.
But there is certainly a faint disappointment.
Disappointment...
The eyes that were once filled with solid trust now hold disappointment. This entire situation may very well be something Ho Gakmyung brought upon himself.
But Ho Gakmyung did not submit.
"Did you say pressure?"
"..."
"When I first decided to follow Ryeonju-nim, you told me I would experience hell."
Jang Ilso nodded slightly.
"That was true. It was indeed a path comparable to hell. But I chose to serve you knowing that. Do you remember what I said back then?"
"Are you talking about taking it easy?"
"No. I said that even if being with Ryeonju-nim would be like hell, at least it would be enjoyable."
Jang Ilso fell silent. Ho Gakmyung bit his lower lip gently.
"I said that because I am that kind of person, not because you are. The Ryeonju-nim of those times could laugh and mock the enemy even in the heart of hell. But is the current Ryeonju-nim still the same?"
Jang Ilso glared at Ho Gakmyung without responding. Perhaps it was not that he did not answer, but that he could not.
He must already know.
Someone like Jang Ilso would surely understand what Ho Gakmyung was implying. If he didn't, he wouldn't be reacting so vehemently.
"So?"
A twisted grin spread across Jang Ilso's lips, exposing his teeth like a predator about to sink them into someone's throat.
"And if I say I am not happy? What are you going to do? Tell me to enjoy this situation? Or maybe I should just drop everything and drown myself in alcohol? Hm?"
A small sigh escaped Ho Gakmyung's lips.
He could sense it clearly from this conversation.
That scene. That day's scene.
Jang Ilso has not escaped from it at all, even though it terrifies Ho Gakmyung to see it again even in his dreams.
"If there is an enemy, you fight."
"..."
"If you can't win with strength, you use strategy. If strategy fails, you use poison, dig a deadly trap, take hostages, lick the enemy's toes to make them lower their guard, but you make sure to win."
Jang Ilso's face grew colder and colder.
"That was the way of Paegun that I knew."
"..."
"Not finding a way to run because you can't win, but struggling to win no matter what, and laughing it off if you still can't win, that was the Paegun I knew!"
"Ho Gakmyung!"
Jang Ilso finally shouted. Ho Gakmyung, too, spoke clearly but desperately.
"What did you see that made you give up even resisting? What could possibly make Paegun, Jang Ilso, lose the will to fight and run away?"
Clang.
The liquor bottle Jang Ilso was holding shattered, its shards scattering to the ground. Alcohol dripped down his hand, filling the air with an incongruent scent.
A brief silence fell.
It was as if a line was drawn between the two, stark and cold.
"...You talk well."
Jang Ilso brushed off the liquor on his hand and sighed shortly.
"What I see and what you see are different."
"Ryeonju-nim."
"If you could feel what I feel, 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. The emotion in those eyes was not unlike what was in his own.
"That means, until now, you've only picked fights with enemies you could handle."
Jang Ilso stopped wiping his hand and froze.
His serpent-like eyes locked onto Ho Gakmyung.
"What did you just say?"
"Am I wrong?"
"Ga Myung-ah."
A sinister aura appeared on Jang Ilso's face.
"There are lines to be respected between people. Even you must not cross certain lines."
"No. I am not the one who crossed the line. It's you, Ryeonju-nim."
Jang Ilso's lips twisted into a chilling smile.
"Fine. Keep talking. Let's see how far you'll go."
"Is it Paegun's way to give up fighting an invincible foe?"
"No. The way is to find a method. But if there is no method, what should one do? Should they face an unwinnable battle and be shattered, or should they die faster because they will die anyway?"
"Is there really no way?"
"..."
"The Paegun I know would seek even the smallest chance, even if the odds were one per cent. That was the way of Myriad Man Manor, Paegun, and Jang Ilso."
"So now…!"
"Join forces with the Righteous Sects."
Jang Ilso, who was about to shout again, stiffened.
Silence once again pooled between them. After a long pause, Jang Ilso spoke.
"What did you say?"
"Join forces with the Righteous Sects."
"...Ha. Haha."
Jang Ilso let out a bitter laugh.
"Do you think that makes any sense?"
"It's impossible without a common enemy, of course. But with a common enemy, anything is possible. If they understand the existence of 'that person,' they will join hands with Master Lu. It's a fact proven by history."
Jang Ilso fell silent.
"If the probability of winning by fighting is low, then increasing that probability is my way. Forming an alliance with them right now is the most certain way to increase our chances of winning. Is there any reason not to consider that?"
As Ho Gakmyung spoke further, Jang Ilso's brow furrowed. At the same time, a hint of disdain appeared in Ho Gakmyung's eyes.
It's rare for Jang Ilso to show such resistance. After all, he mocks everything.
But the resistance he displayed now was more nauseating than disdainful.
It's a physiological repulsion like fearing snakes or disliking insects. That's the kind of repulsion evident in Jang Ilso right now.
After a moment, Jang Ilso clenched his jaw and shook his head.
"This is absurd."
"Ryeonju-nim."
"Ho Gakmyung. You suddenly dream of achieving this. What nonsense are you talking about?"
Jang Ilso chuckled softly.
"Fine. Maybe you're right. It might be one way. But Ho Gakmyung, even if that's the case, do you really think those bastards will believe me? In this situation?"
"..."
"No, let's say they do believe. Even if they believe me, do you think those bastards will really try to join hands with me?"
This time, it was Ho Gakmyung's turn to remain silent.
"You know well that's unlikely."
Jang Ilso let out a deep mocking laugh.
"Hatred sometimes defies reason. There are plenty who would rather kill the opponent than let them live as long as they live. But... would they really try to join hands with me to survive?"
"They are not fools."
"Strategy exists only in books. But people don't live inside books."
"In my hands, those who have lost their friends and their factions are abundant. But would those bastards protect my back for the sake of 'justice'?"
Jang Ilso's face contorted painfully.
"Nonsense. It's absurd to even think so. It's more futile than having to worry about an equal opponent if you can't put them under your feet."
"Sounds odd."
"..."
"Listening to what you say, it seems unlikely that you would ally with those orthodox sects, but haven't you already done so with the Heavenly Comrade Alliance?"
"..."
"You fought alongside them in Hangzhou. Why can't you adopt the same approach now? Has the situation changed? Or..."
Jang Ilso's face stiffened slightly.
Though he didn't realize it himself, Ho Gakmyung was smiling coldly now.
"Have you become a different person than you were then?"
Jang Ilso stood up from his seat. He looked at Ho Gakmyung as if he had heard something he could never tolerate. But Ho Gakmyung, in turn, did not back down.
"Say that again."
"I... asked if Ryeonju has changed."
"You..."
Jang Ilso's piercing blue eyes clashed with Ho Gakmyung's resolute gaze.
It was a sight that had never occurred before. A confrontation that had never existed.
The steps that always headed in the same direction were slightly, but surely, deviating at this moment.