Episode 1284. Who came to Gangnam? (4)
Kwak Hwan-so desperately waved his arms and legs.
‘Faster!’
He gritted his teeth and whined with bloodshot eyes. I don’t really know how the situation is going. All he knows is that he has to get to the shore as fast as he can.
Sigh!
The current gently sweeps his body, and the underwater scenery quickly passes by him.
It was an incredible speed. Kwak Hwan-so is swimming the fastest since he was born. I was surprised that I could move at this speed in the water.
‘Pfft!’
But no matter how fast I waved my arms and legs, the gap with those ahead only widened.
‘Damn it.’
Guo Huanxiao unconsciously bit his lip and followed with his eyes the backs of the people of Cheonyumaeng, who were now barely visible.
Inaction? Of course, it has no choice but to fall behind.
They are not just disciples of a prestigious family. These are the key figures who lead each faction. It would be rude to directly compare Guo Hwan-so’s inaction with those who are renowned throughout the world.
But…
‘Does it even make sense to fall behind in water defense?’
What Kwak Hwan-so couldn’t understand was this part.
He is from Haenam. He learned to walk before he could walk and grew up with water as his playground. How should we understand the situation where such a person lags behind the competitor in swimming speed?
Craftsmanship is not something that is possible simply because of inaction. Just as there are people who are good at running and people who are good at swimming, those who are not used to water must have difficulty swimming proficiently no matter how hard they try.
Shouldn’t this be especially true in deep water?
However, Hwasan’s disciples, who have captured the people around him one by one, are gradually moving further and further out of his sight.
‘damn!’
If the elders and elders who had gone before Kwak Hwan-so had not created a path connecting them, he might have already lost his track in this rough current.
At the moment when he roughly stretched his arms forward and tried to increase his speed with all his might.
Hot!
Someone grabbed his leg.
Surprised, Kwak Hwan-so turned around to see Lee Ja-yang shaking her head violently with a face that looked like she was about to explode. Miss Lee pointed backwards with a nod.
Before I knew it, the distance between Haenam’s disciples and Kwak Hwan-so’s family had widened considerably. Just as he was unable to catch up with the Cheonwoo Demons despite his desperate efforts, the disciples of Haenam who followed him were also unable to catch up with him.
Kwak Hwan-so bit his lip tightly.
Unable to let go of his regrets, he glanced ahead, reflected on his role, and relaxed the strength he had put on his limbs.
‘Damn…’
He sent a hand signal to Lee Ja-yang to go forward and fired his body towards the rear. He moved to the very back of the group and lightly pushed the backs of the disciples who were falling behind.
The disciples, who were struggling with exhaustion, looked at Guo Huansao. Kwak Hwan-so nodded without saying a word. Only then did the disciples gain strength again and swim forward.
Kwak Hwan-so clenched his fists and followed behind the advancing disciples.
Paaaat!
The disciples of Hwasan, who had almost reached the coast, broke the surface of the water and jumped up.
Cheongmyeong nervously threw away the snow bag he was wearing on his shoulder.
“Ah-oh! “You piece of luggage!”
“Cheongmyeong!”
“Hey you crazy guy! Let’s go to the palace!”
“Palace lord? What is the palace lord? “This bastard, who can’t even swim, why did he follow me all the way here?”
“You… are the person we need to persuade Haenam.”
“Necessity is a joke!”
“Gururuk⋯⋯. Dojang…”
“no way!”
Cheongmyeong pressed his foot on Seol Sobaek’s stomach. Then, clear water gushed out from Seolsobaek’s mouth.
“⋯⋯You really can’t swim at all.”
“What was the point of swimming in the North Sea? “Cheongmyeong’s cub went into the water there and almost froze to death.”
“But when you look back, wasn’t Cheongmyeong fishing with Baekja tied to a fishing rod at that time?”
The people who were talking incessantly suddenly cast vague glances toward the far north, as if they had made a promise.
“Are we going well?”
“⋯⋯We are sorry.”
“I never thought people would feel guilty towards animals.”
Hwasan’s disciples held a brief moment of silence, remembering Baek-ah, who was desperately moving his short legs across Gangnam. Both humans and animals must have a conscience.
“There is no time for this. “Move.”
“yes!”
As soon as Baekcheon’s words fall, Jo Geol, Yunjong, Yu Iseol, Dang Soso, and Hye Yeon shoot forward like a flash fire. Nangong Daowi looked back at Baekcheon with a slightly embarrassed face.
“What are you doing now?”
“I went to check if there were any enemies nearby. “You have to understand the situation before you can decide your next move.”
“I also did something…”
“no.”
Baekcheon shook his head resolutely.
“If a person whose limbs are not aligned properly moves, problems may arise. Lords of Soga, please check the condition of Lord Seolgung here and control the disciples of Haenam who arrive after him.”
“⋯⋯Okay.”
“Once everyone comes ashore, give them a short rest and erase all traces left on the shore. “Eventually, your footprints will inevitably be discovered, but delaying that time even a little will be of great help.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Then…”
Baekcheon’s expression, who had been giving instructions firmly and neatly, changed in an instant. Soon he turned his head helplessly. I saw Cheongmyeong shaking his snow bag in the back.
“Aren’t you getting up? Won’t you wake up, you bastard? This is the palace owner! “Your eyeballs are rolling just because you drank some of that water!”
“Susumi⋯⋯. Breath… Seal…”
“You think Ji is still a kid! If it were Saga, you would already have kids! Where are you pretending to be weak? Won’t you wake up? Hey this bird… evil!! ouch! Ear ears! No, Sasuk! Why use someone else’s precious ears? evil!”
“Follow me, man.”
“evil! Dongryong, ears! Leave your ears behind! Hey…”
Baekcheon didn’t even pretend to hear, but held Cheongmyeong’s ears tightly and dragged him away into the forest. Namgung Do-wi, who was staring blankly at that scene, sighed deeply.
“why?”
When Dangpae asked the reason for his sighing, Nangong Daowi only made a sad expression without saying a word.
“Is it because the difference between us doesn’t seem to have diminished?”
“no. “It’s not like that.”
Namgung Dowi shook his head.
“I know that I am still lacking. In particular, I know that the Namgung family’s martial arts education is not the type of thing that can be achieved by being impatient. If I just keep working hard, one day it will be worth giving it a try with other people. “I don’t know about the Hwasan Sword Association.”
“But why?”
“Isn’t it strange?”
“huh?”
Nangung Dowi glanced strangely toward the forest where Hwasan’s disciples had disappeared and said.
“They are so good at everything.”
At those words, the party leader nodded his head a little hesitantly. Nangong Daowi looked at his hands in silence. A red handprint was clearly left on Baekcheon’s wrist that he held and led in the water. The clarity of the handprint seemed to tell the distance between Baekcheon and Namgungdowi.
“He’s even good at jamaekjil.”
“With something to swim with…”
“That’s not all.”
Nangong Dowi added, his complexion hardening.
“I was only thinking about getting there quickly, but they are taking the next move for granted. Every time I see it, I wonder what on earth they can’t do. Don’t you think he’ll do well no matter what I ask him to do?”
The party leader also nodded. The disciples of Hwasan certainly have that side. The feeling that you can do anything twice as well and more skillfully than others.
“Inaction, if you use evil somehow, you can compare, but I wonder if you can keep up with that part…”
“You’re worrying about all sorts of trivial things.”
Suddenly, a bitter voice broke in. When Namgung Do-wi turned around with a shocked expression on his face, he saw Lim So-byeong, completely soaked in water, wringing out his clothes as he approached. All the irritation in the world was on his face.
“Would the person who grew up in that warm Namgung family, seeing only good things and eating only good things, be the same as the noblemen who grew up experiencing all sorts of things outside?”
Namgung Dowi asked back sullenly.
“What is the difference between me, who grew up like a flower in a greenhouse, and those people who are like weeds, who grew up through all kinds of hardships?”
“ah. It seems you understand that much. “Wow, people’s brains are getting better.”
Despite the blatant sarcasm, Namgung Do-wi did not get angry but instead burst into laughter.
“I know what you mean, but then why are you doing this, Green Forest King?”
“In ⋯⋯?”
“I think the person who grew up rolling around in the weeds outside is the King of Green Forest, but the King of Green Forest is really good at nothing except using his head.”
“That… Uh… that.”
“I guess weeds are just weeds, right? “I see that there are some useless weeds.”
“Ugh…”
Dangpae was amazed as he watched the conversation between the two. This is the first time I have seen Namgung Do-wi give Lim So-byeong a big blow like that.
‘You’ve grown, Dowie!’
I was naturally filled with emotion as I lost my party.
Lim So-byeong belatedly tried to say something, but Namgung Do-wi didn’t even listen and was lost in thought.
‘There’s definitely something different about the volcano people.’
Are you good at it because you’ve been through all kinds of things? That statement is not wrong, but it is missing the point. What’s really important is that ‘all kinds of things’ include things that other people will never experience even if they live their whole lives.
Do people who grow up really rough learn how to do all that?
‘No way.’
That can’t be happening. Haenam’s disciples must have lived a pretty rough life for a political faction, but haven’t they been in a hurry just to follow the situation since it happened?
However, Hwasan’s disciples act as if they already knew all this. It was as if they had thought about and prepared for this situation for a long time.
Namgung Do-wi, who was wondering if this was really possible, shook his head.
Preparing for war is not that difficult. All you have to do is increase your military status, build up military supplies, and secure power. However, it is realistically impossible to know in advance what will happen in that war and to develop appropriate capabilities.
‘I don’t know.’
Namgung Dowi became curious again. What does the world that Cheongmyeong of the Hwasan Sword Association look like? Is he really seeing the same world as others?
At that time, Haenam’s disciples began to arrive at the coast one by one. The Geumyangbaekwa elders rushed out from the front. Namgung Dowi chewed his lips without realizing it.
‘The world’s best nine-file room and five generations.’
A laugh escaped his mouth.
‘If there’s anything wrong, it’s the world I was seeing. ‘I was a fool who lived and dreamed there.’
Reality is always cruel. But now, Nangung Dowi will not ignore the approaching reality. If that is the real world, we will not avoid it at any time, but will face it…
“It’s Dowie. Don’t be like that, come here and squeeze your stomach, Lord Seol. “Less water came out.”
“⋯⋯Yes.”
But for Seol So-baek, it seemed like it was still a little early.
