Episode 1545. Isn’t that good? (5)
Jo Geol was speechless.
This is not the familiar face of Yoonjong.
He always had a faint smile on his face, so he seemed like a nice person, but now that his face was set, I even felt cold. It was difficult to keep my mouth shut in front of him.
“Yoonjong-ah.”
Instead of Jo Geol, Baek Cheon called Yoon Jong with a sigh. I’m trying to persuade you.
“It’s impossible.”
But before he could do that, Lim So-byeong’s stern voice intervened. Lim So-byeong glared at Yoonjong with a cold face.
“Does Dojong Yoon understand this situation properly?”
“of course.”
“No, I don’t think you understood.”
Lim So-byeong spoke in a harsh voice.
“Cheon Woo-maeng’s move now is what Sapae-ryeon wants most. Are you saying that you will do whatever the enemy wants now?”
“….”
“I understand your concerns. But moving now is never a good move. “What we have to do now is keep the harmony.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“In harmony, everything we have and must protect is gathered together. The moment we disperse our forces, the defeated army will do whatever it takes to attack this place. “They will try to squeeze through even the slightest crack and break it to pieces.”
“yes.”
Tanggunak nodded as if he agreed.
“That’s why you can’t take the power out. Even if it’s just one person.”
Lim So-byeong’s expression was unusually cold. I felt determined not to listen to any logic or appeal whatsoever.
Even if he doesn’t have an official title, he is clearly a soldier of the Cheonwoo Alliance. He is also the head of a large sect called Nokrim.
This is not someone that a mere Li Dae disciple of Hwasan can dare to confront.
Moreover, the Green Forest King was not afraid to use force if necessary. We cannot sit idly by and watch as the direction of an alliance is distorted by subtle disputes between death penalty groups.
However, despite all the pressure, Yoonjong remained calm.
“Is that why I shouldn’t go?”
“yes.”
“That’s not a reason why I shouldn’t go. “This is the reason for what Cheon Woo-maeng must do.”
“Yoonjong Dojang.”
“How long can we keep this place?”
Yoonjong’s quiet voice echoed in the silent space.
“People are dying, villages are burning, and the number of people being looted of everything they worked hard to build over the year is continuing to increase. How long can we wait?”
“….”
“Seven days and seven nights?”
“stamp.”
“Or is it a month?”
“Jangilso always moves. At that time…”
“If he doesn’t move, does this mean that you will only protect this chord even if there is nothing left everywhere?”
Lim So-byeong closed his mouth.
Jang Il-so moves. He has confidence.
But it is impossible to convince others of that certainty. There are things in this world that happen once in a while, and more than anything, saying that he can completely read Jang Il-so’s movements is just arrogance.
Yoonjong continued.
“Did you ask why?”
“….”
“Then I’ll answer you. Because there are people waiting for help.”
It seems like a routine. A sigh escaped Lim So-byeong’s mouth.
“stamp. Such an obvious statement…”
“Obvious?”
Yoonjong’s voice changed completely. A sharp and cold energy flowed.
Yunjong turned his gaze to Cheongmyeong.
“You answer.”
“execution!”
Jo Geol was embarrassed and tried to stop him, but Yoon Jong didn’t even look at him and only glared at Cheong Myeong.
“Was what I said obvious?”
Cheongmyeong did not give any answer and kept his mouth tightly shut.
“Answer me.”
Only after Yunjong urged her again did Cheongmyeong let out a long sigh.
“There is nothing wrong with what the Green Forest King said.”
“….”
“I understand your regret. Because death penalty is that kind of person. But now is not the time to move like that. It is better to use openings or ghost doors to bring people together in harmony. “Because it’s relatively safe here.”
Yunjong, who was listening quietly, nodded.
“Is that your answer?”
“execution.”
Jo Geol was anxious to try to mediate somehow. However, neither of them paid any attention to Jo Geol, and even Lim So-byeong, who had intervened between them, remained silent this time.
The reason Lim So-byeong chose to remain silent was because he felt that this was not just an emotional fight between the death penalty.
Yoonjong spoke softly while receiving everyone’s attention.
“I’m curious.”
It was a firm and cold question.
“Then why have you been criticizing the old school so much?”
“Yoonjong!”
Baekcheon jumped up from his seat. Isn’t that a statement that crossed the line? However, Cheongmyeong answered clearly without giving Baekcheon any time to intervene.
“Compare what needs to be compared. “We’re not doing this just to protect ourselves.”
“Then who should we protect more?”
“Everyone in harmony. And the civilians in Gangbuk. Everyone….”
“What about Gangnam?”
“what…?”
Yunjong scolded coldly.
“What about those in Gangnam? “I guess they are the ones who suffered the most?”
“What…”
Cheongmyeong was about to say something stupid without realizing it, but swallowed it.
We are discussing Gangbuk right now, so why are we talking about Gangnam out of nowhere?
“Do you remember?”
“…what?”
“When we were defeated by all forces on the Yangtze River and signed a treaty giving up the entire Gangnam, we could not sleep for three days and nights.”
When the story of the Yangtze River Disaster comes up, everyone’s faces harden.
Cheongmyeong also kept his mouth shut.
“The reason we suffered was not because we lost. Because I knew how many people in Gangnam would suffer without us. “The feeling of shame at not being able to protect them was so terrible that it could not be compared to the feeling of defeat at being defeated by Sapa.”
Several people nodded slowly. It was a story that everyone here could relate to.
“Cheongmyeong, you will know best. “The person who suffered the most at that time was none other than you.”
Cheongmyeong did not respond at all. However, his eyes were becoming infinitely dark.
“But…”
Yoonjong glanced at everyone and then fixed his gaze on Cheongmyeong again.
“now?”
“….”
“Is it painful?”
A terrible silence fell in Daejeon.
“It’s a strange thing. The pain they suffered did not diminish one bit. No, maybe it’s even worse now that the war is approaching than it was then. But now no one cares about the pain the people of Gangnam will suffer.”
“Jong-ah Yoon. “That’s…”
“Because it’s something that can’t be helped.”
Yunjong even cut off Hyeonjong’s words.
“okay. Because it’s something that can’t be helped. Because I don’t have enough strength. Because it’s not something I can do now. So I had no choice but to endure it. But…”
Yunjong’s eyes narrowed.
“Is that really true?”
There was a hint of sarcasm on his lips.
It clearly seemed like a self-deprecating laugh or a ridicule at those watching. That’s because Yoonjong’s words pierce everyone’s hearts.
“I stepped down because it was something that could not be helped. So, we wanted to firmly protect Gangbuk Bay. But now we have to ignore the suffering of the people of Gangbuk again. why? “Because it’s something that can’t be helped.”
Jo Geol watched Cheong Myeong without realizing it. It was impossible to read any thoughts on his face, which had no expression whatsoever.
“You give up Gangnam, Gangbuk, and if you don’t have enough strength, you give up Hwaeum, right? What happens after that? What are you going to do if you still don’t have enough strength? “At that time, you’re a Cheonwoomaeng and you’re only going to protect Hwasan?”
“Yoonjong!”
“It’s strange.”
Yunjong glared directly at Hyeonjong.
Jo Geol, who was watching this, felt that his breath was suffocating.
It’s not anyone else, it’s Yoonjong.
Along with Yu Yi-seol, Yoonjong, who believes in and follows Hyeonjong the most in Hwasan, is now shooting a sharp look at Hyeonjong.
“That is all correct. There is nothing wrong with that. But… isn’t it funny that those correct words are similar to the ones we have denied so fiercely, shouting that they are wrong?”
“execution. Now….”
“I thought I felt that way because I was still immature. Since everyone was better than me, I thought that they would naturally have different opinions. But is the conclusion they all come together to ultimately be, ‘No matter who dies, let’s crouch here and wait like a turtle?’”
“execution!”
Cheongmyeong frowned and raised his voice as if he couldn’t listen anymore.
“Don’t talk nonsense. There is no one here who does not care about the civilians. The reason we have to do this now is if we lose…”
Cheongmyeong trailed off for a moment. Then he immediately closed his mouth.
Because what he was about to say a moment ago was eerily similar to what he had heard in the past.
Cheongmyeong ridiculed and criticized the court that preached this idea in front of him. All the words from back then are coming back to Cheongmyeong now.
Self-contradiction.
What is strangling them now is his logic, his strategy, and his actions.
Everything that brought Cheon Woo-maeng to this point is now pointing a sharp sword at his choice.
“I’m not asking you to think the same way. Because everyone’s thoughts are different. But don’t force that choice on me.”
“For what?”
Baekcheon, who had been listening in silence, glared at Yunjong and asked.
“At most, it’s just you. What do you mean you can go and do it? What are you going to do with the legitimacy of the agreement you speak of? Are you going to comfort yourself by saving a few people?”
“Baekcheon, you talk too much!”
Hyeonjong tried to urgently intervene, but Yunjong opened his mouth as if he had been waiting for the question.
“As Sasuk said, I might not be able to save anyone on my own. “You might be criticized for doing something stupid.”
Yunjong closed his eyes for a moment and opened them.
“But at least we can prove one thing.”
“proof?”
“It wasn’t a lie.”
Yunjong’s eyes turned to Cheongmyeong again.
“Everything we have done so far has not been just the entertainment of those with power. “The hand we extended was not sympathy, as if we were being generous after protecting everything.”
He paused for a moment and grabbed the sword at his waist.
“And that nothing we have done up to now has been for any benefit that will come later. Even if I have nothing to lose, I am willing to walk that path, so I have a sword in my hand!”
Cheongmyeong was speechless. He just stared at the plum sword that Yunjong was holding.
The gaze moved from the plum blossom sword to the small plum blossom engraved on the left chest of Yunjong’s military uniform, and finally to Yunjong’s face.
Yoonjong looked directly at Cheongmyeong and spoke clearly.
“That’s what I’ve learned from volcanoes so far.”
Cheongmyeong closed his eyes as if his vision had become distant. My eyelashes were trembling slightly.
