Episode 8
“Do you have anything to say?”
“There were no casualties. Did General Sung stop it?”
“……Yes. I desperately tried to block it. It was really fortunate.”
“Desperate?”
Seol Woon-hwi burst out laughing after saying just one word.
“Desperate… Okay, let’s say that’s true.”
The General Seong’s expression became strange.
“……You are really strange today, Master.”
“For better? Or for worse?”
“Well, I don’t think I can judge that.”
“Why can’t you make a decision?”
“……yes?”
“It is natural for people to make judgments about everything. The word subjective is usually used in such cases.”
Seol Woon-hwi reached out and grabbed General Seong’s shoulder.
“It means that even tools can make judgments.”
“…….”
“I want to hear the answer. Is it good or bad?”
“……I think it’s a good thing.”
At those words, Seol Woon-hwi smiled and at the same time, the commander-in-chief continued speaking.
“But I am worried.”
“What are you worried about?”
“……Don’t look back too much.”
“Then, General Seong can stand behind me.”
General Seong couldn’t answer easily, and Seol Woon-hwi didn’t press the question any further.
“Did you touch the opening too?”
“I touched it.”
“How many people did you kill?”
“Well, I don’t usually count them one by one, but I killed two people this time.”
“……Did you kill the branch manager too?”
“I killed him.”
“What are you really trying to do?”
He smiled brightly.
“Is this Seol-ap a land of openness?”
“……That’s not it.”
“They are clearly parasitic beings. What can we do if beggars who pick up leftover food act like the owners?”
“……What should I do?”
“I have to kill him.”
“…….”
“The baton they use was originally a club used to beat dogs that were harassing beggars. But what if the beggar holding the baton behaves like a dog rather than a human being? We need to help him come to his senses.”
“Even if it means killing you?”
“If you did something that deserves death, then you should die. Isn’t this the world of martial arts?”
It was at that moment when Seol Woon-hwi was about to stand up from his seat.
“Do you intend to kill all the members of the Buntawon?”
Seol Woon-hwi slowly turned his head.
“Even if it’s open, the highest-level martial artist among the members of the faction that went to hunt down the fugitives is Ju Cheon-gyeong. The fugitives are the same. There’s no one above him. Do you think the faction members will be able to kill all the fugitives, let alone recover the goods, when they’re outnumbered?”
The intention behind the question posed by the General Seong was clear.
Why did you force them into a corner instead of embracing them?
From the beginning, Seol Woon-hwi had anticipated this entire situation.
The value of the goods? The English alphabet? Training resources? Money? To put it bluntly, I didn’t need any of that stuff.
It means that I don’t care if I lose everything.
But there is something that is viewed more seriously than these: ‘other people’s lives.’
“Do you think I made a bad decision?”
“…….”
“I would like to ask in return. What did they do when I was treated like a scarecrow?”
“……that…….”
“Time, I think it was about six years, and during that six years, they just stood by and watched.”
“…….”
“Of course, there were several instances where the members of the group changed in the middle, but no matter how many times or how many people, the fact that they were just bystanders doesn’t change. Each of them must have had their own reasons. But that doesn’t mean that I should embrace them. Why should I embrace those guys?”
“……But I think that ruling is the same as embracing. Wouldn’t true embracing mean understanding their mistakes, forgiving them, and even giving them a new chance?”
I pondered the commander-in-chief’s words for a moment.
Seol Woon-hwi’s eyes become serious.
“The inclusiveness that the Sung General thinks of seems to be talking about embracing and understanding everyone regardless of their past. I guess he was drawing an ideal.”
“……master…….”
“The tolerance I know is different from that of the Sung General. Tolerance is not about embracing the weak. It is the judgment that the strong pass on to the weak. Deciding whether they deserve to live or die. That is true tolerance. So it is better to throw away such sweet goodwill.”
“…….”
“At least give me a chance without killing me. I need people who will absolutely obey my orders.”
“…….”
“Even if they were people I was eating from the same pot with yesterday, if they are traitors and I order them to be killed, I need a sword that can kill them without a moment’s hesitation.”
At Seol Woon-hwi’s answer, General Seong closed his mouth with a complicated expression. Seol Woon-hwi continued speaking.
“I asked if they could kill them all and come back. I don’t know. They might kill them all and come back, or they might come back all dead.”
“…….”
“But this is the martial arts world. Isn’t the martial arts world a stage where you prove yourself? If they all die, they’ll just be nothing more than that, and they won’t even be worth remembering. If they come back alive, I can at least give them a chance.”
“……If they all come back dead, what will the fugitives do?”
“We’ll all die soon.”
“……How can that be?”
“I’m thinking of hiring a salesperson for now.”
“…….”
“There are about two organizations that are responsible for killing people around here, so I guess I can ask both of them.”
“master…….”
“And I have a proposition for the thieves. They’ve stolen a lot of stuff from here, and I have no intention of claiming ownership of it.”
“…….”
“Whether it’s through torture or something, if they find him, they’ll get an additional bonus on top of the original fee… so they won’t be able to die easily.”
I just stood up from my seat.
“I plan to practice. Don’t let anyone in.”
“……yes.”
“Someone from Gaebong or Cheongun will be coming today, so tell the General to welcome them. If their proposal and information are sound, then proceed as is. It doesn’t look like the members of the Bunta Group will be back today, but just in case, wait.”
“……All right.”
It was at that moment that Seol Woon-hwi turned around and was about to enter the residence.
“May I ask how you know about Hancheol’s martial arts skills?”
“There are so many questions today.”
“……sorry.”
“Curious about the source?”
“yes.”
Seol Woon-Hwi answered the General Seong’s question very clearly.
“I picked it up in the mountain.”
“……yes?”
“To be exact, I picked it up at the bottom of the cliff of Mt. Hwaseong. There was a skeleton there, and on the stone wall in front of the skeleton were the words “Cheonsal Nangseonggyeol” engraved.”
Seol Woon-hwi asked.
“Did that answer your question?”
“……yes.”
Seol Woon-hwi entered like that, and General Seong quietly watched his back.
