This is the Side Story included in the physical release of Volume 7. It will be released in three parts and posted on Sundays. This is Part II (Part I), so expect one more part. The story is set at Jongnam Sect, before Jin Dongryong joins Hwasan.
________
“Damn it!”
Jin Dongryong, who had climbed to a deserted peak of Mount Jongnam, kicked a stone hard along with the curse.
“Aaaagh!”
But perhaps it had been a stone embedded deeply in the ground, because the one who fell flat and rolled across the spot was Jin Dongryong instead. Rolling over and over, he could not contain his anger and screamed.
“Nothing ever goes right!”
Only after a long while did he stagger to his feet and slowly moved on. When he climbed to near the summit and plopped himself down, the scenery of Mount Jongnam came into view through an open, unobstructed field of sight. All around it was quiet. After remaining silent for a long while, a powerless mutter slipped from Jin Dongryong’s lips like a sigh.
“Why only me…”
He could endure Jin Geumryong. No, in truth, Jin Geumryong was hard to endure too. But even so, he could at least try to understand him somehow. That guy had always been that way, after all. What tormented Jin Dongryong the most was none other than his father, Jin Chobaek.
Jin Chobaek never took his side. Unless the rights and wrongs of a matter were so clear that there was no room for doubt, Jin Chobaek always sided with Jin Geumryong.
Because he was the older brother. Because he was the eldest son. Jin Dongryong, too, had tried his best to understand that. But no matter how he thought about it, this was too much. Just a moment ago had been the same. Was that really something for which he alone deserved to be punished? Of course, he could not say he had done nothing wrong, but if he was to be punished, should Jin Geumryong not naturally be punished as well?
“So why do you only do this to me?!”
Out of frustration, he flopped onto his back. No matter how he thought about it, there was only one reason. Because Jin Geumryong was more outstanding than Jin Dongryong. Because his elder brother was better in every way.
The Jin family had been a distinguished family of Jongnam for generations. And Jin Chobaek, too, was a swordsman who vied for the top among the first-generation disciples. But that was all. While the ancestors of the Jin family had been talents who competed for the title of the greatest sword of Jongnam, Jin Chobaek’s own ability fell somewhat short. How bitter Jin Chobaek must have felt over that fact was something one could know without needing to hear it from him directly.
In the midst of that, his eldest son, Jin Geumryong, possessed talent counted among the finest in Jongnam, so of course he could not help favoring him. After all, the possibility had grown that the Jin family would once again produce Jongnam’s finest sword.
Jin Dongryong knew as well. Not only his father, but everyone else too believed that Jin Dongryong would never be able to surpass Jin Geumryong. He was always pushed aside. Everyone took Jin Geumryong’s side rather than his. Because Jin Dongryong was inferior to Jin Geumryong.
Why compare them…? He was himself, and Jin Geumryong was Jin Geumryong.
At the sound of softly trickling water reaching his ears, he turned his head and saw a small stream flowing by his feet. Without realizing it, Jin Dongryong gazed at his own reflection upon the flowing water.
A blurred, distorted image. Yet perhaps because it was distorted, it resembled Jin Geumryong even more. Was that why? Was that why they kept comparing him to his elder brother and looking down on him? Was that why they said he could not become like Jin Geumryong?
“Ugh…”
Jin Dongryong covered his face with his hands. At this moment, he hated this face so much it was unbearable. If only there were not even a trace of resemblance between them, perhaps he would not feel this way.
As long as he lived in Jongnam with this face, he would have to be compared to Jin Geumryong forever. His hands trembling violently, Jin Dongryong grabbed a fistful of mud from the streamside and began frantically smearing it across his face.
“This damned face! Damn it!”
Even through the stinging sensation, he did not stop rubbing the dirt into his skin, until suddenly he cried out and collapsed backward onto the ground.
“Ah…”
The blue sky spread above him, filling his entire vision.
“……I can do it too. I can……”
A low mutter rang out. As he looked up at the blue sky, his eyes grew hot. He clenched his fists tightly. And then, at that moment.
“Who are you, and what are you doing here?”
Without warning, someone suddenly thrust their face into his view.
“Eeeek! You scared me!”
Some unfamiliar boy was looking down at Jin Dongryong, tilting his head in curiosity.
⠀
A little while later, the boy in Jongnam’s martial robes, sitting beside Jin Dongryong, nodded in understanding.
“So you ran out here alone?”
“….Yeah.”
For a moment, a look of pity appeared in the boy’s eyes.
Being constantly compared to a talented older brother was a painful thing. He had not heard every detail of the story, but even from that alone, he could imagine how much hardship this little kid must have gone through.
“You must have it rough.”
At those words, Jin Dongryong’s face twisted slightly.
“You don’t even know anything…”
“No. I think I understand, more or less. I don’t know the details, but my own situation isn’t so different either.”
Jin Dongryong tilted his head and looked at the boy. A boy of about the same age whom he had met for the first time today. He had not particularly expected an answer from him, but had only spoken to ease the frustration inside him, and yet an unexpected response had come back.
“You see, I’m also having a hard time because of an outstanding Sahyeong.”
“An outstanding Sahyeong?”
“There is one, his name is Jin Geumryong.”
“Pffft!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, no. Nothing.”
Jin Dongryong quietly brushed at the mud smeared across his face.
‘Is the mud really covering my face that well? Or is this guy just slow?’
It had been itching a little for a while now, so he had wanted to scrape it off, but… now that things had turned out like this, it seemed he would have to keep hiding his face a little longer for the time being.
“He is an incredible person.”
“…”
“From what I’ve heard, your older brother sounds like an incredible person too, just like Jin Sahyeong. And yet you’re standing up to someone like that. That makes you incredible too.”
Those words made Jin Dongryong feel strangely conflicted.
The joy of being acknowledged by someone. Yet also the bitterness that even the one acknowledging him still regarded Jin Geumryong as far more remarkable.
“Have you ever thought about something like that?”
“Like what?”
“…Wanting to beat your Sahyeong, or something.”
The boy lifted his head slightly, wearing an expression of contemplation as he looked off into the distance.
“Hmm, well. I started learning a new sword technique a little while ago, you see?”
“A new sword technique?”
“Yes. It’s a sword technique that hasn’t been given a name yet…. Hmm. It’s a secret. It’s not officially recognized yet. If I go around talking about it, I’ll get scolded badly.”
“Yeah. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
“Good. Anyway, I’ve been learning that sword technique, but it turned out to be much harder than I expected. It’s dazzling and endlessly shifting, so even reading all the variations contained within a single form is overwhelming.”
“It must be an incredibly difficult sword technique.”
“Yeah. On top of that, should I say it’s a little different in nature from what I’ve been learning until now? Anyway, because of that, I was struggling with it…”
The boy stopped speaking and let out a deep sigh.
“Jin Sahyeong saw it once and copied it.”
…In that instant, Jin Dongryong’s face turned pale. Shaking his head as though exhausted by the very thought, the boy continued.
“That was when I felt it. Ah… I’ll never be able to beat this person in my entire life. We’re on different levels. That kind of feeling?”
Jin Dongryong felt as though he understood that bleak feeling all too well. He, too, sometimes felt it when he looked at his older brother. So he spoke sincerely.
“…That must be hard.”
“Hm? Why?”
But the boy asked back as if he did not understand what he meant. Jin Dongryong flinched. Had he said something wrong?
“No, since you’d want to beat your Sahyeong, but it’s difficult…”
“Mmm… Beat my Sahyeong?”
“…Huh?”
The boy tilted his head and said.
“I don’t particularly want to beat my Sahyeong. Of course, it would be nice if I could become as strong as him.”
“Eh? Why?”
“Hmm, it’s not as if wanting to beat someone is necessarily a given, is it?”
The boy picked up the wooden sword lying beside him and looked straight at that well-worn sword with a serious gaze.
“I just like the sword.”
Only then did Jin Dongryong understand. Why he had happened to meet this boy in such a deserted place. Belatedly, he noticed that the boy’s clothes were soaked with sweat.
“And I liked Jongnam. My goal isn’t to beat my Sahyeong, but to someday raise Jongnam’s honor high. So the fact that my Sahyeong is stronger than me isn’t necessarily a problem. Because I don’t think raising our honor is a role reserved only for the strongest person. Mm, wouldn’t that be enough?”
Jin Dongryong, who had been listening in silence, nodded.
“Uh, since you and I are different, I can’t force my thoughts on you, but.. you’ll have your own path too. Winning or losing against someone isn’t everything, after all.”
Having said that much, the boy must have suddenly grown embarrassed, because he muttered, ‘I’m not good with words, so really…’ Jin Dongryong laughed softly.
“You’re a good person.”
“Hm?”
“Unlike someone else.”
The boy laughed.
“Maybe your older brother might be a better person than you think too. Just like Jin Sahyeong is a better person than one might expect. Huh? Now that I think about it, they do have some similarities…”
“Ah, no. They’re not similar.”
“Huh? Why?”
“My older brother is ugly.”
“Ah…”
Seeing the boy’s gaze fill with something like pity, Jin Dongryong quickly turned his head away. Guilt welled up inside him, but if the boy discovered right now that he was Jin Geumryong’s younger brother, the atmosphere would definitely become awkward.
Jin Dongryong’s gaze turned towards the distant mountains. The things the boy had said were nice, but honestly, they did not completely resonate with him.
‘He likes Jongnam, huh.’
Rather, those words only felt strangely unfamiliar to him. To Jin Dongryong, Jongnam was simply a home. The place where he had been born and raised. And the place where he would continue living from now on as well. He had never once thought about whether he liked or disliked Jongnam.
Perhaps this was the greatest difference between himself and the boy. The boy had chosen Jongnam of his own will, but Jin Dongryong had never chosen it.
Suddenly, Jin Dongryong felt the unfairness of the world. While Jin Geumryong leisurely spent his time tormenting him for amusement, this boy swung his sword in a place like this. And yet, this boy did not even dare imagine surpassing Jin Geumryong.
Perhaps Gangho was a place where everything was decided from birth. In a place like this, what meaning was there in struggling so desperately?
“You don’t need to win… But if you could win, you would want to, wouldn’t you?”
“…Hm?”
“But there’s a difference in your ability to learn. Then in the end, if you want to defeat your Sahyeong, it means you’d have to learn some martial art even stronger than Jongnam’s martial arts.”
Even after saying it, Jin Dongryong, of disbelief, let out a snort. Jongnam already belonged among the stronger sects even within Gupailbang. And yet martial arts stronger than theirs?
“It’s not as if you can shave your head now and enter Shaolin, and they say Wudang is strict in selecting its disciples… Besides, one couldn’t necessarily say that the martial arts of those two sects are better than Jongnam’s either, so in the end, that means it won’t work.”
The boy let out a thoughtful ‘Hmm,’ then shrugged.
“No… I don’t think that’s necessarily true. Jongnam itself is proof of that.”
“Jongnam? What about Jongnam?”
“Right now, Jongnam is called the foremost sect in Shaanxi and is a fairly powerful place even among the sects of Gupailbang, but they say it wasn’t like that in the past. They say it couldn’t even become the foremost sect in Shaanxi, let alone among Gupailbang.”
“In Shaanxi? I don’t know about anywhere else, but you’re saying there was a sect more prominent than Jongnam in Shaanxi? I’ve never heard that before.”
“There was one. Hwasan.”
“Hwa-Hwasan?”
The Great Hwasan Sect – he had heard of it. But these days, wasn’t it supposedly a ruined sect pushed to the brink of taking down its own signboard?
“I heard that once upon a time, that Hwasan Sect wasn’t only the greatest sect in Shaanxi, but a place that even aspired to become the greatest sect under heaven. Back then, Jongnam was so overshadowed by Hwasan’s momentum that it couldn’t even properly hold its head up.”
“…Really?”
“I’m telling you.”
He could not imagine it at all. Jongnam, unable to hold its head high?
Then, suddenly, something flashed through his mind. Jin Dongryong let out an exclamation without realizing it. Hadn’t Jin Chobaek and the other adults of Jongnam sometimes shown a strange hostility towards the sect called Hwasan? At the time, he had wondered why they cared so much about that small sect, but it seemed there had been such circumstances behind it. And if Hwasan had truly been greater than Jongnam back then, perhaps that meant it had even surpassed the Jongnam of today.
“Why did a sect that great become so small now?”
“I don’t really know that part either. It’s just something I heard. Mm, anyway, it seems Jongnam of that era was said to never be able to defeat Hwasan. But Jongnam’s predecessors kept striving and striving again until they built the Jongnam of today.”
Jin Dongryong’s expression grew unexpectedly serious. He had not known Jongnam had such a hidden story.
“So don’t think of things as impossible just because they’re difficult. Sometimes things that seem unattainable now become possible if you keep working at them.”
But Jin Dongryong said nothing, as though deeply lost in thought. A strange uneasiness passed through the boy’s heart.
‘Did I say something wrong?’
Since they seemed to be around the same age, he had spoken comfortably, but when he thought about it, this was someone he did not really know…
“Was that place called Hwasan really so amazing? You said they once contended for the title of greatest under heaven.”
“Hm? Ah… I heard they were. Now it has become an underwhelming sect, but it’s a shame.”
Jin Dongryong pressed his lips shut again, seemingly lost in thought over something. Seeing that, the other boy awkwardly smiled and brushed himself off as he stood.
“Um. The time is already….”
Only then did Jin Dongryong turn his gaze to look at the boy.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yeah. It’s almost time for evening training. As for you…”
The boy trailed off, looking somewhat uneasy. Jin Dongryong smiled as if to say he understood even without being told.
“Don’t worry. I’m going home.”
“Good. Be careful… And… wash your face a little before you go in. If someone sees you, they’ll think you’re a ghost.”
“Ah, all right.”
The boy cast a quick glance at Jin Dongryong, picked up his wooden sword, and began walking away. After walking for a while, he suddenly stopped and looked back towards where Jin Dongryong was.
‘Did I tell him my name?’
But Jin Dongryong had already left. The boy, Lee Songbaek, smacked his lips in slight disappointment.
“I can just tell him next time.”
⠀
After parting ways with the kind boy, Jin Dongryong trudged up the steep mountain.
The words of the boy he had met for the first time, who did not seem to differ much from him in age, became a great source of strength to Jin Dongryong. And among them, the words that remained most vividly in his memory were these two phrases.
– I am the one who will raise Jongnam’s honor.
– They say it was once a place that even aspired to become the greatest sect under heaven.
Jin Dongryong had always thought that he could prove himself only by defeating Jin Geumryong with his own hands. But perhaps, as that boy had said earlier, it was not necessarily only the strongest person who could prove oneself.
‘A fallen prestigious sect…’
Certainly, it might be difficult to defeat Jin Geumryong within Jongnam. Even if, after several decades, he would become able to defeat him, by then the world would already have engraved Jin Geumryong as the First Sword of Jongnam. What meaning would there be in winning at that point?
But… even if he could not overpower him in a duel, what if Jin Dongryong accomplished something even greater than Jin Geumryong? For instance, reviving a fallen prestigious sect. Then would the world not judge him to be a greater figure than his older brother?
Jin Dongryong, who had been deep in thought, soon let out a small laugh.
“What kind of absurd idea is that?”
He knew very well just how unrealistic a story this was. A delusion should remain a delusion. If one began to take a delusion seriously, one would only become a fool. All the way down the mountain, weary sighs kept slipping out of his mouth.
“Someday… they will recognize me.”
If, just as that boy had said earlier, he devoted himself to training and then trained and trained even harder, someday the day would surely come when he defeated Jin Geumryong and was acknowledged by everyone. Without fail.
❀ ❀ ❀
Jin Chobaek’s cold gaze seemed to pierce straight through Jin Dongryong. At a stare so ruthless it was hard to believe it belonged to a father, Jin Dongryong shuddered.
“I am certain I ordered you to fast and remain in seclusion, did I not? Yet while being punished, you leave the house as you please? Without so much as a word?”
“W-Well, when you told me to remain in seclusion…….”
“Shut your mouth!”
Jin Chobaek burst out in a roar. Jin Dongryong flinched and lowered his head deeply. It was unfair, but this was not a situation where anything he said would get through.
Meanwhile, Jin Eunryong, who had been watching Jin Chobaek’s mood from afar, squeezed his eyes shut with a heavy heart.
‘Why did it have to be now…’
The situation was as follows. By unfortunate coincidence, in the brief time Jin Dongryong had been away, the Sect Leader had come to visit. It was to discuss Jin Dongryong’s formal admission into Jongnam and the person who would become his Master. Usually, in such a matter, it would have been proper for his father, Jin Chobaek, to lower his head and go seek out the Sect Leader himself. Yet the fact that the Sect Leader had personally come all the way to the family estate could truly be called a remarkable thing, one that showed the trust and respect he had for the Jin family.
But of all times, Jin Dongryong had not been home then. Of course, the Sect Leader himself had not minded much and merely laughed it off as he departed, saying, ‘Haha. Seeing how lively he is, he truly is a talent destined for great things.’
But Jin Chobaek could not let it pass so lightly. In front of the Sect Leader, he had not merely embarrassed himself, but utterly disgraced himself, and it had ended up looking as though grave discourtesy had been committed. Looking at the full circumstances, it was difficult to point out anyone in particular and say it was entirely their fault, but it was true that Jin Chobaek had been left in an extremely difficult position, and that was why he was flying into such a rage.
“If you lack talent, then at least your attitude should be proper. And if your attitude is poor, then you should at least make up for it with effort, yet you possess neither! Worthless brat!”
Jin Dongryong’s head drooped even lower. Jin Chobaek glared at that son of his in displeasure, then clicked his tongue.
“If only you were good enough as even half of your older brother…”
At the remark that slipped out as though in passing, Jin Dongryong’s shoulders trembled.
A trace of pity passed through Jin Eunryong’s eyes. Of all days, he had to hear words like that today, so it was easy to imagine how he must feel. Of course, he understood their father’s position. But he could not help understanding Jin Dongryong’s feelings as well. For younger siblings with an older brother who was far too outstanding, everything was hard and burdensome. Was Jin Eunryong not the very person who knew that feeling best? Truly, those must have been the one words he least wanted to hear…
“Your admission date has been decided. Originally, you could have enjoyed the honor of hearing it directly from the Sect Leader himself, but thanks to your foolish childishness, that opportunity is gone now.”
At those words, Jin Dongryong abruptly lifted his head.
“M-My admission?”
“That is right.”
Jin Dongryong was not yet an official disciple of Jongnam. Since he was already learning Jongnam’s martial arts within the family, becoming an official disciple was, in truth, little more than a formality, but in any case, in order to be acknowledged as an official disciple, he had to take one of Jongnam’s members as his Master and perform the Disciple-Master Initiation Ceremony [배사지례(拜師之禮)*].
In truth, Jin Dongryong had already gone a little past the age at which one should take a Master, but as no one had readily come forward to take charge of him, his admission had been delayed. There was one reason for that. It was precisely because he was Jin Geumryong’s younger brother.
Jin Geumryong was a prodigy counted among the best even within Jongnam. Jin Dongryong, as his younger brother, was also showing an outstanding talent. So naturally, he could not help being compared to Jin Geumryong. Anyone who had learned martial arts would surely want to take on a fine disciple and thereby raise their own reputation as well. But if one’s disciple were compared with someone else at every turn, how burdensome would that be? All the more so if the person they were being compared against was someone nearly impossible to surpass.
It would have been resolved if Jin Chobaek taught him personally, but unfortunately, Jongnam’s sect rules forbade taking one’s own child as a disciple. There was the matter of generational hierarchy as well, but more than anything, it was largely to ensure that no disciple would be treated with favoritism.
And so, for such reasons, the matter had only been put off from day to day, but it seemed a decision had finally been made. Jin Dongryong asked carefully.
“The person who will become my Master is…?”
“Ga Sahyeong.”
Ga Mokwol [가목월]. Hearing that name, Jin Dongryong’s face stiffened.
“Wh-What about my Hyeong’s Master?”
“That person does not have the capacity to take you as a disciple as well.”
“Even so…”
Jin Chobaek once again glared at Jin Dongryong with an expression as cold as ice.
“You dare to judge and choose the person who is to become your Master? Is this how I raised you, to be such a rotten wretch?! Without the slightest thought for your own place, you are only ever busy belittling others – how is it that you have become so insolent! Must everything in the world turn according to your wishes?”
Even as his son’s head gradually lowered further and further, Jin Chobaek’s fury showed no sign of subsiding.
“So because you are lacking, should others still indulge you and call you talented? Should your wrongdoings never be reprimanded? Did you expect everyone around you to take your side in every single matter?! You foolish boy, never once considering that the only reason you can strut about acting so important is thanks to the prestige cast by your elder brother and this father of yours! If you were not the third son of the Jin family, do you think people would look upon you as they do now? Not a chance!”
Jin Dongryong bit down hard on his lip. His clenched fists and shoulders were trembling violently.
“You walk comfortably along the road paved by your family and your elder brother, yet all you do is spew complaint after complaint. How did a petty-minded fool like you ever come from me! It is truly lamentable!”
“F-Father.”
When Jin Chobaek’s wrath showed no sign of fading, Jin Eunryong, unable to keep watching, stepped forward. Perhaps because of what had just happened with the Sect Leader, Jin Chobaek was far more agitated than usual. Normally, he was not someone who spoke so recklessly without any restraint.
Only then did Jin Chobaek seem to realize that he had gone too far, and closed his mouth. But the gaze with which he looked at Jin Dongryong had not softened.
“Go to your room and observe self-restraint.”
With those final words, Jin Chobaek turned sharply and strode out without waiting for a reply. Jin Eunryong opened his mouth, trying to say something.
“Dongryong-ah. Father…”
“Listen carefully to what Father said.”
“Hyeong-nim!”
It was Jin Geumryong, who had been previously silently watching, who spoke. Looking at Jin Eunryong sternly, he said.
“Do not raise your voice. Father may have spoken in anger, but there was not a single thing he said that was wrong. You know that as well, do you not?”
“But…”
Jin Eunryong’s thoughts were tangled. Was there truly nothing wrong? Jin Dongryong, the youngest, was trying. Though at times his efforts went too far and led him astray, was it not too harsh to treat him as nothing more than a child who only knew how to rebel?
“Did you say you wanted to be under the same Master as me? Without even caring whether Master himself would want that.”
“…”
“In the end, that simply means you wanted Father or me to persuade Master on your behalf. You always insist that you want to be acknowledged, yet at the decisive moment, you try to lean on me or Father. In the end, you are still nothing more than a child throwing a tantrum.”
Even as Jin Geumryong’s cold and merciless voice poured down on him, Jin Dongryong said nothing.
“This confinement is actually a good opportunity. Quietly take your time and reflect on yourself. Then even a fool like you may be able to grow a little.”
At last, Jin Dongryong, who had remained silent, turned around without a word.
“D-Dongryong-ah!”
Jin Eunryong, flustered, tried to stop him, but it was useless. Jin Dongryong went into his room and slammed the door shut.
At this subdued reaction, Jin Eunryong’s complexion stiffened as never before. His reaction was unlike his usual self. Normally, when he heard harsh words, even if it meant bracing himself to be scolded even more severely, he would flare up. He would not remain silent like that. That was simply the nature he had been born with. But now…
“Hyeong-nim. Could you not ease your words just a little…”
“Jin Eunryong. You should know when to stop as well.”
“…”
“If you keep doting on him just because he is the youngest, you will be the one to ruin him.”
Jin Geumryong, who had snapped at him coldly, left. In the end, Jin Eunryong, left alone, let out a deep sigh. His gaze lingered blankly on the closed door to Jin Dongryong’s room.
⠀
Meanwhile, Jin Dongryong, who had entered his room, lay sprawled on the bed and did not move, only staring up at the ceiling.
Things to say? Of course there had been many. Even so, the reason he had quietly turned away was, in the end, because of one thing Jin Geumryong had said.
– At the decisive moment, you try to lean on me or Father.
For some reason, those words made his heart sink heavily. Perhaps because, deep down, he could not deny them. He had wanted to be acknowledged by the Jin family, and by Jongnam. As a worthy son, and as a martial artist.
But looking back, there was not a single thing Jin Dongryong had chosen for himself. He had merely walked the path his father had chosen for him and hoped that one day they would judge him differently. How pathetic and foolish that had been!
Only today did Jin Dongryong become certain. Those gazes would not change. To them, he would forever remain the lacking and somehow unreliable youngest son. Even if he were to accomplish something truly extraordinary, they would ultimately attribute it to the secret care and concern they had shown him.
And perhaps that really was the truth. So long as he stood upon this land called Jongnam, Jin Dongryong would never escape the shadows of Jin Chobaek and Jin Geumryong. Even if the day comes when he defeats Jin Geumryong, that victory might still be attributed to the very people who raised him.
If he were willing to accept that, then he could simply stay here and wait. In time, he would naturally enter Jongnam officially and take on a Master. He would gain a measure of freedom compared to now. Perhaps he might even receive some acknowledgment and finally straighten his shoulders with pride. But… Jin Dongryong’s eyes slowly twisted.
“Then… then what am I?”
He wanted to win. He did not need consideration or indulgence. He simply wanted, as a martial artist, to defeat his older brother. Fair and square.
He could not shake the feeling that he was begging for acknowledgment. If he continued to stay here and live like this, that feeling would only deepen. Was he supposed to keep living while clinging to the image they wanted and the methods they approved of, all the while hoping that someday they would say, ‘Now you are so obedient. You’ve become quite admirable’? What a joke.
Jin Dongryong pushed himself upright.
“Then…… I’ll just make them acknowledge me.”
Through achievements no one could possibly deny – not within the narrow confines of the Jin family or Jongnam, steeped in their influence, but in a way that would force the entire world to acknowledge him.
A firm resolve filled Jin Dongryong’s eyes.
Special Spinoff Chapter 40 >>>
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*It is a profound Chinese tradition that formalizes the bond between a mentor and a disciple. It ensures the passing down of knowledge, ethics, and skills in fields like martial arts, traditional medicine, arts, and crafts. So it doesn’t only apply to martial arts sects. The tradition consists of giving the Master six ceremonial gifts and performing ceremonial duties/steps.
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