Episode 1168 Was I really wrong? (3)
“What…”
Jo Geol looks around with bewildered eyes.
But no one opened their mouths and made an excuse for Jo Geol. Because these words were not spoken to Jo Geol, but to all of them.
“What do you mean…”
“I don’t think so?”
The court shakes its head.
“Which of you said you had to go to Haenam?”
“….”
“Did the Hwasan Sword Association want to do that themselves?”
The court’s gaze pierces Baekcheon. Baekcheon lowered his head as if he had committed a sin without realizing it.
“Even if he did that, you should have stopped him. “It is very obvious who will be the most dangerous on that trip to Haenam.”
“….”
“But I don’t know, but you probably ended up going to Haenam. And naturally, the Hwasan Sword Association was at the forefront.”
I couldn’t bear to say it to no one else.
They also knew that there was a high probability that it would happen in the end.
Aren’t volcanoes always that way?
“Hwasan has repeatedly done things that cannot even be called reckless. That’s the case with all people. What about Chise’s North Sea? On the Yangtze River? And what about Hangzhou?”
Every time each of those incidents was mentioned, everyone’s faces twitched briefly.
“Was any of them not dangerous? “Has there ever been a place where you didn’t have to risk your life?”
“….”
“And at the forefront, as if it were natural, was the Hwasan Sword Association.”
Jogeol bites her lip.
Those words, which merely conveyed facts, sounded to Jo Geol as a rebuke for having only placed Cheong Myeong on the front line in the most dangerous places.
“I risked my life again and again and came back alive again and again. And that achievement led to the glory of Hwasan and Cheonwoomaeng. Those who followed him naturally discussed the alliance and their own performance. But…”
The court looked at everyone with stern eyes.
“I ask you guys, even if the Hwasan Sword Association was not at the forefront, would you really have risked your lives to fight? “Were you able to go through with the agreement that it doesn’t matter if you die?”
“….”
“Probably not. “Yeah, probably not.”
The court’s voice was resolute.
“That wouldn’t have been possible. The reason you have been able to muster the courage to face powerful enemies so far is because the Hwasan Sword Association was in front of you. “Until now, I just assumed it was my own courage.”
Baekcheon bit his lip.
The fact that he couldn’t refute anything was making Baekcheon suffer even though his stomach felt like it was burning.
“Of course, I’m not saying that’s wrong. If there was someone like Hwasan Swordsmen in front of you, wouldn’t it be natural to want to lean on them? But…”
The court slowly shakes its head.
“In the end, that foundation will end up pushing the Hwasan Sword Association’s back. One day, you will regret it when you put him in danger. “I realized what I had done.”
The court’s eyes, which took their gaze away from Baekcheon, once again turned to Jogeol.
“But does this mean that even Shaolin should rely on the Hwasan Sword Association? “I can’t do anything, so are you asking me to put a bigger burden on my shoulders?”
“That’s…”
“At least that’s not the Shaolin way. “It’s definitely not something I, the head of the room, should be doing.”
Jo Geol clenched her fists as if she was suffocating.
I can’t refute it.
I must confess that at some point, Jo Geol did not consider the court to be such a great person.
His status as the head of Shaolin may be great, and his inaction as a martial artist may be respected, but I thought he was not someone we should respect or be wary of as a human being.
This is because all he has shown so far is always being one step behind Cheongmyeong and regretting it, or heading in the opposite direction of Cheongmyeong’s direction and being embarrassed.
But at this moment, Zhao Jie and the others here could not help but feel it painfully.
Why did that court become the head of Shaolin? How great of a person is the person who has risen to the position of head of Shaolin.
Even they had forgotten that it was not Hwasan or them who had been winning the court all this time, but just Cheongmyeong.
“Do you understand? “Hwasan Sword Association?”
“….”
“So far, you have done things that no one could have ever imagined. That must have been your strength and a milestone for those who followed you. But…”
Cheongmyeong briefly bites his lip as the court looks at him.
“You must have felt it too. You couldn’t have known. “It is no different from dancing a sword dance at the edge of a precarious cliff.”
“….”
“Even if you succeed ten times, if you fail just once, you will lose everything. No, perhaps the more we have achieved, the more we will lose it painfully. “It’s the thing you least want to lose.”
The court quietly asks Cheongmyeong.
“Wasn’t it burdensome?”
“….”
“It is an unknown feeling for those who have someone to rely on; it is a burden that can only be borne by those who feel they are responsible. The further you go, the more burdensome it becomes. “There are more and more people relying on you, and the situation is becoming more and more dangerous. Don’t you have no choice but to push yourself further to continue this situation?”
He spoke as if he felt sorry for the court.
“Even if you know what’s at the end, you won’t be able to stop. That’s the path you’re on. That’s no different from walking forever on a thorny path barefoot. At first, it is just a small scratch, but as the number of scratches increases, a drop of blood flowing from the wound accumulates. Then one day, the blood will become too much to ignore and it will soak your entire body.”
Maybe this moment.
Cheongmyeong may have met someone who understands him for the first time.
Someone who understands what he is doing and what kind of life he is leading.
“But isn’t that the only way to the Hwasan Sword Association?”
The court sweeps the others away.
“If you join us, you won’t have to carry so much. Shaolin and Gupa Ilbang are still lacking, and I am still stupid, but it will be enough to share your burden and bear it.”
“….”
“So stop being stubborn now.”
Cheongmyeong still looks at the court with eyes full of disbelief.
“That’s surprising.”
“What do you mean?”
“I had no idea you had such a smooth tongue.”
It was clearly a sarcastic remark. No matter how you think about it, it is not appropriate against the head of Shaolin.
However, rather than being offended after hearing that, the court just laughed.
“As you live, there come a day when a poor monk praises you.”
“Does that sound like a compliment?”
“Then isn’t it?”
Cheongmyeong shakes his head.
There is no one more difficult to deal with than someone who has completely let go of himself. Because no provocation will work against someone who is neither hurt nor angry.
Now Cheongmyeong was keenly aware of that fact.
“The words come out like they’re oiled, but how can you guarantee that all of that wasn’t just an attempt to embellish the owner’s greed with good words? We were already deceived enough to be deceived by the manager. “There is no way we can trust each other just because we are told to trust each other when there is no trust in each other in the first place.”
“Hey, Hwasan Sword Association.”
“Tell me.”
“Just like you said, this all started because of my excessive greed.”
“I guess so.”
“Then is what I’m saying wrong?”
Cheongmyeong frowns. This is because I could not clearly understand what the court was trying to say.
“That’s right…”
“That’s not true.”
The court spoke firmly.
“You guys trying to keep the agreement can also be said to be a kind of greed. “Aren’t people meant to live for what they pursue in the first place?”
“….”
“The cause is not that great. “Isn’t greed becoming a cause when it goes beyond just one’s own personal greed and goes towards something bigger?”
The court muttered like a monk who had attained enlightenment.
“I just hope. I hope the world gets through this crisis a little more easily. It’s very clear what I need to do to do that. “What could be better than if we could mend the divided political factions and unite our forces?”
There was no wavering in those words. even alittle.
Therefore, even those who heard it nodded their heads without even realizing it.
“And the little greed I harbored. The cause created by that greed will clear away the thorns in front of the path you walk. Eventually, it will lead the way to volcanoes.”
Cheongmyeong glared at the court in silence.
“Please know one thing.”
“….”
“It may sound like an excuse, but everyone makes mistakes and makes mistakes. “Isn’t the important thing to learn from those mistakes and move forward?”
The court closes its eyes and stands in class.
“Amitabha Buddha. I understand all the mistakes I made. That’s why I bow my head and apologize. So, please try to understand this ugly person.”
Cheongmyeong clenched and opened his hands without realizing it.
Everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is to move on and not dwell on that mistake.
I agree. I understand. Cheongmyeong is the one who puts that maxim into practice with all his might.
“Bangjang.”
“Say it.”
Cheongmyeong sighed and opened his mouth.
“Let’s assume everything the room manager said is correct.”
“….”
“But the conclusion is only that we will help Haenam die and turn a blind eye. “Who bears that sin?”
“Who could it be? “Of course, it’s my responsibility to bear it.”
“…Do you think that’s something you can handle with just your life?”
“Maybe not. Yes, my one life might not be enough. But… what can you do? Should we ask for someone else’s blood just because we can’t handle it alone? Or should we ask others to join us in taking responsibility?”
“….”
“Who will go to hell if not me? I will just accept it all. So if Kang-ho can escape this crisis and save at least one more person, wouldn’t he be able to smile even in the midst of a thousand miles of fire and brimstone?”
The court smiled.
“I said everything I had to say. Now all that’s left is a choice. Will you take my offer or not?”
The court chanted briefly and stood up.
“I will not expect an answer here. I’ll see you again in about three days. “A long writer.”
“Are you going?”
“I hope Jang Moon-in makes the right decision. Binseung knew where I had to go. I hope Jang Mun-in does the same. then.”
The court, which was deeply involved in the town, came out accompanied by Jong-ri-hyung.
An inexplicable atmosphere descended on the room he returned to.
No one could open their mouths and no one could look at each other.
And that moment.
Sigh.
Cheongmyeong stood up on the spot and walked out without saying a word.
“…Cheongmyeong.”
The only thing that came out of the corner of Baekcheon’s mouth as he looked at the back was wandering aimlessly around the room.
