I wasn’t wrong. (4)
Maybe it sounds like a good thing to some, but Im Sobyeong isn’t someone who reveals his true feelings, and Chung Myung is not someone who takes things at face value.
“Are you catching on?”
Im Sobyeong chuckled.
“As expected!”
Chung Myung extended his neck in silence and looked at the rippling sea.
“What are you looking at?”
Im Sobyeong asked.
“Just thinking about how deep you would sink if I tied your arms and legs and threw you in here,”
Chung Myung replied casually.
Im Sobyeong stepped back slowly. After Chung Myung shot him a glance, he continued,
“It’d be too easy a death for a cunning Sapa bastard like you.”
“…”
“So, you’re stuck with me because even though I spout nonsense, people believe it, while you speak the truth and no one listens?”
Chung Myung asked.
“Ah, quite a blunt way to put it.”
Im Sobyeong chuckled and spoke up.
“Honestly, that’s also one of the reasons. Living life, you come to know one of the truths of the world.”
He shrugged before continuing.
“Who says the right things?”
“…”
“Once, I thought the emphasis was on ‘the right’ in that sentence. But in reality, people focus more on ‘who.’”
“Maybe because you’re a filthy Sapa?”
“…”
“It’s strange that people would believe a filthy Sapa is speaking the truth, isn’t it? Isn’t it normal to think they’re scamming you?”
“Well, uh…”
“Anyway!”
Im Sobyeong let out a heavy cough before continuing,
“That’s why, for someone like me to speak the truth, there needs to be someone willing to listen. That’s why even guys like Yuan Shu and Dong Zhuo had advisors. It’s more practical to persuade one person who won’t listen than to convince each individual in a world indifferent to your words.”
“Oh, really?”
Chung Myung laughed before saying.
“It sounds a bit strange when you put it that way.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, according to your logic, you should be persuading me right now, shouldn’t you?”
“Indeed.”
“But knowing I won’t listen anyway?”
“That’s right.”
“So, it doesn’t make sense, does it?”
“Indeed, it doesn’t.”
Im Sobyeong nodded as if acknowledging Chung Myung’s observation. In Chung Myung’s eyes, there flickered a momentary doubt: ‘Has this guy lost his mind?’
“…Please don’t look at me like that. There’s a reason for it.”
“Huh?”
“If you look at history, it’s quite common. Even the smartest sages sometimes follow the absurd decisions of rulers at crucial moments.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s quite common indeed.”
Im Sobyeong shrugged, adding.
“So, in such cases, historians usually interpret it as the rulers wielding power to suppress their advisors. I used to think that way too.”
“But now? Is it different?”
“Yes. After doing some investigation on my own, I’ve realized it’s not always like that. Even the most renowned scholars, at the most crucial moments, may act according to the ruler’s judgment, not their own. Even if it contradicts their principles.”
“Why?”
Im Sobyeong, who had been rambling as if intoxicated by something, suddenly fell silent and fixed a piercing gaze on Chung Myung. The weight of that gaze was so heavy that Chung Myung found himself involuntarily silent.
“Why do you think that might be?”
“Well…”
“Actually, I didn’t understand it well before. But at some point, I came to understand.”
“What?”
“That scholars are also human.”
“Huh?”
Im Sobyeong spoke with a stern face.
“Scholars should be the most impartial, able to see their surroundings objectively in any situation. They shouldn’t be swayed by emotions or harbor any expectations. Yes, that’s what makes a great tactician. But you see, even such scholars are ultimately human.”
“…”
“They harbor emotions, they sway, they even have expectations. In other words…”
Im Sobyeong’s gaze turned towards Chung Myung.
“It means that even tacticians can feel tempted by the words of conmen.”
Im Sobyeong laughed and then asked.
“Do you know when the moment a tactician feels most like hell is?”
“Um… I’m not sure?”
“It’s when my carefully laid plans all go awry. And do you know when a tactician feels most delighted?”
“Um… I don’t know that either.”
“It’s when my carefully laid plans all go awry.”
Chung Myung’s face contorted in confusion as he listened silently. What kind of crap was this?
Im Sobyeong nodded as if understanding that expression.
“Of course, it might be hard to understand.”
“What are you saying…?”
“But it’s really true. Tacticians feel an indescribable thrill when their plans fall into place perfectly, yet at the same time, they are people who endlessly crave something beyond the realm of those calculations unfolding in reality.”
“…I really don’t understand.”
“Dojang would likely feel the same. He’s never experienced it.”
A strange gleam appeared in Im Sobyeong’s eyes.
“Tacticians don’t always feel that way from the beginning. But when someone pushes forward a plan I opposed, and it creates something beyond what can be predicted, that’s when I experience inexplicable emotions.”
“…I see.”
“So sometimes, I find myself hoping. It sounds utterly nonsensical, but I wonder if that nonsense might actually flip the situation on its head.”
Chung Myung faced Im Sobyeong, who shrugged in response.
“Of course, in most situations, it’ll likely end up being a dog’s death.”
“…I see.”
“So, I am not trying to stop you. Maybe this choice will lead me to dog’s death, but… If we avoid dog’s death in this situation, all that’s left for us is a reasonable death.”
Chung Myung nodded as if understanding.
The notion of a reasonable death wasn’t entirely wrong. With the power of Cheonumaeng alone, they couldn’t withstand the combined might of Sapaeryeon and Demonic Cult.
From a logical standpoint, and if they acted logically, all they could face was a just and reasonable death.
“While it sounds plausible, in the end, it’s still a gamble. That’s what this is all about.”
“I won’t deny that.”
Im Sobyeong nodded.
“A tactician thinks within the realm of reason. It means it’s hard to calculate situations that go beyond reason. Frankly, I don’t know how to make Cheonumaeng capable of facing Sapaeryeon, Gupailbang, and Demonic Cult simultaneously. I don’t even think it’s possible.”
It was a dry statement. However, as someone who needed to accurately perceive the power dynamics between factions, it was an entirely reasonable statement.
“But there might be someone who can make it possible.”
“…”
“Even if they propose a thoroughly irrational and incomprehensible method.”
Im Sobyeong paused for a moment before smiling.
“What can we do? If that’s the only path, then we have no choice but to do our best within it.”
Quietly listening, Chung Myung chuckled. It seemed that the tactician in front of him didn’t understand how contradictory his words were. No, perhaps he knew but chose to ignore it.
“It seems there’s a misunderstanding…”
“Yes?”
“I’m not that kind of person.”
Chung Myung stared into the distant sea as he spoke.
“I understand what expectations you have of me, but I’m not capable of meeting them. I’m not someone who receives expectations. Rather, I’m the one who holds them. So, I have no choice but to lead.”
Chung Myung’s gaze briefly shifted towards the deck. Not towards the disciples of Haenam, scattered around, but towards the disciples of Hwahan who were just coming out onto the deck.
“There are others who should be leading.”
“Hmm.”
With an amused expression, Im Sobyeong titled his head.
“Well, how long do you think that’ll last?”
“Hmm?”
“People who delude themselves about their roles are quite amusing. It’s someone who defines their role alone, setting limits, when nobody else thinks that way.”
Chung Myung calmly turned his gaze back to the sea.
“I could explain, but you wouldn’t understand.”
“No, I understand.”
“What?”
Im Sobyeong replied casually, seemingly unimpressed.
“How harsh you are on yourself.”
Chung Myung’s gaze dimmed slightly.
“To be honest, I don’t know what’s in your past. I only know that you’ve experienced something unimaginable. And perhaps all those disciples of Hwasan over there have guessed as much. They just choose not to voice it.”
“…What exactly are you trying to say?”
“It’s about contradictions.”
“Contradictions?”
“Yes.”
Im Sobyeong grinned.
“Your assertion that the one leading can’t be flawed, isn’t that based on experience? I can’t presume, but you have that kind of knowledge.”
“Yeah.”
“And your assertion that they can lead, isn’t it because you believe they can grow, even if not immediately?”
“That’s right.”
Chung Myung nodded obediently. Im Sobyeong pierced him with a meaningful gaze.
“That’s the contradiction.”
“What do you mean?”
“Of course, I’m not denying it. They are growing at an incredible pace. Someday, they will become the ones leading Gangho.”
“…”
“But instead of waiting for that, wouldn’t it be faster for you to become that person now?”
“…What?”
For a moment, Chung Myung stared at Im Sobyeong as if struck.
“Rather than waiting for these barely matured youths to lead, it seems much more reasonable for you, who is already ahead, to lead people now.”
“That’s…?”
“That’s why it’s interesting.”
Im Sobyeong’s gaze darkened.
“You relentlessly evaluate the potential of others while being harsh on yourself. It’s as if you’re judging a corpse that has already gone cold, as if you’re someone who can’t grow or progress any further.”
“…”
“Of course, how you evaluate yourself is your own freedom, but there’s no reason for us to accept such harsh self-assessment as it is.”
Im Sobyeong’s voice penetrated Chung Myung’s ears.
“However, consider this one thing carefully. Is your self-assessment eroding the future of Hwasan and Cheonumaeng? Also, consider what others expect from you.”
Chung Myung remained silent, pressing his lips together.
Seeing his expression, Im Sobyeong chose not to continue the conversation further. He wasn’t someone who refrained from speaking, but he could distinguish between words that needed to be said and those that didn’t.
For Chung Myung, this area was akin to a forbidden zone, and he was not the only one who recognized it as such.
“There are still many things I want to say, but…”
Im Sobyeong turned his head to look at someone approaching from the side.
“A professional nagger has appeared, so I’ll take my leave.”
At his words, Chung Myung also glanced briefly in that direction. Baek Cheon was approaching.
Im Sobyeong smiled as he stepped back, and Baek Cheon silently took the place where Im Sobyeong had been standing.
Then, he quietly gazed out at the sea.
For a while, both Chung Myung and Baek Cheon remained silent, simply staring endlessly at the sea.
________
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Return of the Mount Hua 
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