Well, it’s nothing much. (3)
“…”
The hand of the old scholar holding the Go stone twitched.
‘Did I just hear that wrong?’
The old scholar turned his head, his mouth hanging wide open. In his eyes appeared a young man leaning against the wall, wearing a bored look on his face.
That guy…? That little brat, who looked as if he had only just passed the age of twenty, had just stood before him and spouted such insolence? Even the Crown Prince, let alone all the civil and military officials, had watched his words in front of him.
“What did you just say?”
The old scholar pressured Chung Myung with a face full of dignity.
“Can you not hear me? Say it again, at once!”
With the imposing presence of one who had once placed countless people beneath him and commanded them, making that young Taoist burst into tears should have been nothing at all.
But the response that came back was, he swore, the most absurd answer he had ever heard in his entire life.
“Has this old geezer gone so senile his ears are blocked now, too?”
“….Wh-What did you say?”
“Even when someone says it right in front of your nose, you still can’t understand a damn word.”
At the answer Chung Myung gave while picking at his ear, the old scholar went blank for a moment, unable even to show his anger.
“I said you’re sitting there spewing bullshit, bullshit! You old fossil! Want me to say it again? Sitting there spewing bullsh…”
“Heeeek! Subdue him! Subdue him! Tie him up!”
The horrified disciples of Hwasan rushed in, pounced on Chung Myung, and pinned him down.
“Let go! What did I say that was wrong!”
“Gag that mouth of his!”
“Please shut the hell up, you crazy bastard!”
“Mmph! Mmph-mmph! Mmmmpphhh!”
While Chung Myung was being subdued, Baek Cheon naturally cleared his throat and, little by little, edged himself between the old scholars and Chung Myung, blocking the scene from view. Then, as if nothing at all had happened, he smiled brightly and said.
“Please do not mind it. It is nothing serious.”
At that perfectly composed attitude, the old scholars blinked.
“How can this possibly be brushed over like this…”
“Where are you going with this?”
Baek Cheon continued firmly.
“Wherever one goes, there are bound to be mad dogs, are there not?”
“…”
“And if there is a mad dog, then inevitably, there will also be people who get bitten by that mad dog. If you have been bitten by a mad dog, you ought to lament your bad luck. But if you start asking why there was a mad dog here in the first place, how is that supposed to solve anything?”
The old scholar who had been cursed at by Chung Myung was rendered speechless, and stared at Baek Cheon with a dazed expression.
Even he, who had spent his whole life in the imperial court, where they said one swallowed blades instead of rice, had never experienced such a bewildering situation before. No, not only he – surely no one had ever experienced anything like this.
“More importantly.”
“Hm?”
“May I continue speaking?”
At Baek Cheon’s words, as if the atmosphere had somehow shifted, the old scholar found himself nodding before he knew it.
Watching the scene, the disciples of Hwasan silently applauded Baek Cheon.
‘Look how natural that was.’
‘He’s become the god of damage control now.’
‘When it comes to glossing things over with sheer momentum, he really is the best.’
But Baek Cheon, unable to hear their silent admiration, quickly began persuading the old scholars once more.
“If this were a situation that could be changed through reporting it to the authorities or through effort alone, we would have done so ourselves. But you elders know better than anyone that this is not that kind of situation, do you not?”
The old scholar, belatedly recovering himself a little, let out a cough.
In truth, he knew it as well. Once those above had pressed down with force, the situation could never be changed through a formal complaint. Even if the one filing it was right.
For this world was precisely the sort of place where, at times, what was right was trampled beneath what was not.
The old scholar, who had been looking back and forth between Baek Cheon and Yu Hanbin for quite some time, soon let out a short sigh and said.
“It might seem heartless.”
“Frankly, it does.”
“But we have no way, either. Are we not already retired men?”
“You may have retired, but I have heard that your influence still remains.”
“You are ignorant. You can say such things so easily because you do not know what a tremendous harm it is when those who have already stepped down from office continue to meddle in worldly affairs.”
“…”
“It is regrettable. Truly. Why would we not wish to lend a hand? But you must know it as well.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean the fact that, at times, what is more important than that is principle.”
Baek Cheon bit his lip quietly.
His words were right. They were not wrong. In truth, were there not countless problems in every organization caused by those who, even after stepping down from their positions, still refused to let go of power?
Having retired and withdrawn into secluded life, their stance that they would no longer interfere in government affairs was, if anything, worthy of praise.
And so there was no justification. Now that he had already brought up all the circumstances, insisting that they set aside their own position would amount to nothing more than coercion.
“Of course, it may be difficult for you to accept. You likely believe that, in order to correct what is wrong, it is only proper to break those principles.”
“…That is true.”
“But a principle broken in that way is bound, someday, to be broken for the sake of what is not right as well. Is that not precisely why the sages of old warned against setting dangerous precedents?”
“…”
At the old scholar’s words, another old man, too, shook his head with a grave expression, as though in agreement.
“So you should leave now. We are merely trying to uphold our principles. Do not force those of us who have already retired into doing what is improper.”
“We are……”
Baek Cheon, unable to give up his lingering hope until the very end, was just about to open his mouth desperately again.
“Argh! This is so frustrating!”
“G-Grab him!”
“No, this bastard’s strength is…”
“Aaagh!”
Those who had been pinning Chung Myung down went flying off one by one, and Chung Myung rose to his feet, brushing off his clothes.
“Chung Myung. W-Wait a moment.”
“Move, Sasuk.”
Chung Myung glanced at Baek Cheon, who was breaking out in a cold sweat, then clicked his tongue.
“If people understood everything just because you spoke nicely, then why the hell would wars even happen? What, did you seriously think being sincere would magically get your point across?”
“That’s not it, but..”
“Your whole approach was wrong.”
“Huh?”
When Baek Cheon tilted his head as if to ask what he meant, Chung Myung looked at the old scholars as though he were looking at something filthy.
“Old monsters like that never change their minds. Even if they know they’re wrong, rather than admit it and change, they’d sooner get angry and start spewing sophistries.”
“…”
“Of course, not everyone is like that just because they’re old, but wherever you go, there are bound to be people who’ve aged for nothing, aren’t there?”
“W-Watch your mouth a little, you bastard!”
Baek Cheon, horrified, glanced back at the old scholars.
Perhaps Chung Myung was right. But what kind of person said things like this right in front of the people concerned?
“So get out of the way. I’ll handle it from here.”
“N-No.”
“I said it’s fine. At this point, Sasuk’s methods aren’t going to solve anything. You still think those people are scholars.”
“…Are you saying they are not?”
“They’re not.”
“Then what are they?”
“A breed more vicious and relentless than merchants. The sort that stop at no means or methods to achieve what they want, and become colder than anyone in the world when necessary.”
“What is that supposed to….”
“That is what high-ranking officials are.”
A chill ran up Baek Cheon’s back.
‘Politicians.’
Chung Myung was right. Baek Cheon had thought of them as Great Confucian Scholars [대유학자(大儒學者)] who had gone into seclusion. That was why he had thought that, if he appealed to them sincerely with a righteous cause, perhaps they could be reasoned with.
But what if their foundation was not that of Confucian scholars, but of high-ranking officials?
Cold-hearted men who had refused nothing in order to survive in that ruthless imperial court.
If that was their foundation, had Baek Cheon’s approach truly been right?
“Do you understand now? What you did wrong?”
“…”
“So move aside. This sort of thing is my specialty.”
Chung Myung grinned and passed by Baek Cheon to stand before the old scholars. Then, with a relaxed expression, he opened his mouth.
“Now then. That little speech should be enough.”
The old scholars looked at Chung Myung with a strange gleam in their eyes.
“Was the discussion not over?”
“Over? It’s only beginning now.”
“….Beginning?”
“So tell me.”
“Hm?”
Chung Myung looked at the old scholars and smiled wickedly.
“What should we do for you?”
“…..Huh?”
“Tell me what you want.”
Bewilderment appeared in the old scholars’ eyes.
“…Are you asking us that now?”
“Who else would I be asking? Is there somebody else standing in front of me?”
The old scholars looked back and forth at one another with flustered faces, as if asking whether they had understood the present situation correctly. Soon, finding the same confusion in one another’s eyes, they poured out their anger towards Chung Myung.
“Are you mocking us? Was it not you who came here asking for a favor?”
“So what?”
Chung Myung picked at his ear indifferently and said.
“What’s so important about that?”
“…What?”
“Everyone just has to do what they’re good at. Merchants sell goods, farmers farm. And what else? Taoists… uh, what are Taoists good at again? Huh? There must be something they’re good at. Ugh…”
The disciples of Hwasan turned their gazes away and covered their faces.
‘I want to die.’
‘Our Saje, an embarrassment no matter where he’s put.’
Chung Myung, who had briefly wandered off track, waved his hand irritably and continued.
“Anyway, the important thing is that transactions are your specialty. Isn’t that right?”
“…”
“So think about it. What would be a fitting price for this transaction? You’ve spent your whole lives doing this sort of thing, haven’t you? If you can’t even handle something at this level, what good are you? Right?”
“Why should we be the ones to think of that?”
“Argh, you frustrating old geezers! That’s how you’ll end up with something to gain out of this! You people spent your whole lives buried in scholarship, and you can’t even figure out something this simple? Do I have to spoon-feed you every little thing? Huh?”
Baek Cheon could no longer bear it and was about to step forward.
Shouldn’t he at least be saying something remotely reasonable? Why would men, who had already achieved everything they could ever dream of, want to make a deal with Chung Myung?
But contrary to Baek Cheon’s expectations, the old scholars took an interest in Chung Myung’s words.
“Indeed, that is so.”
“Huh?”
Baek Cheon, who had been about to cut in, froze on the spot and stared blankly at the old men.
“There is reason in what he says.”
Excuse me? Why are you accepting that? Did some other conversation pass between you while I was unaware? In what context, exactly…?
But as if they had no interest in Baek Cheon’s doubts, the old scholars looked straight at Chung Myung and asked.
“Then what about you?”
“Hm? What about me?”
“Let us say we are good at making deals. Then what are you good at? We must know that before we can make a proposal?”
“Me?”
The corners of Chung Myung’s lips curled upward and he grinned confidently.
“As for me… I’m more the type who can do just about everything.”
“…You should be saying there’s nothing you’re particularly good at, Chung Myung.”
“Except beating people up.”
“He’s good at guzzling booze, too.”
“Will you not be quiet? Adults are talking, so…!”
Chung Myung, who had growled at the disciples of Hwasan, shrugged as he looked at the old scholars.
“Well, there are not just one or two things I’m good at, but if I had to choose what I’m best at among them… I suppose there is exactly one.”
“And what is that?”
“Solving problems.”
Chung Myung snapped his fingers with a sharp click.
“When it comes to solving difficult matters, I’m the specialist. No matter what it is.”
“…”
For a moment, the old scholars were at a loss for words.
Could there possibly be another statement in this world so outrageously arrogant?
Moreover, even the same words changed meaning depending on before whom they were spoken. They had never even imagined that there would be someone in the world who would dare say such a thing in front of them.
But even as Chung Myung watched the old scholars’ reaction, he instead urged them on as if it were only natural.
“Now. Since I’ve told you everything, I’ll ask again.”
“….N-No.”
“What should I do for you?”
Chung Myung smiled brightly.
And strangely enough, that smile looked truly splendid.
________
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