480 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

EP.480 Papermill - 14 "We will commence the collective discussion now." Several days after the news of Kang Yun Ho reached the Habin Party, Secretary Sutalin summoned all party officials to gather in one place. "What do you mean by a collective discussion?" "As the secretary, it is a time for us to ensure that the party leaders properly understand what the Party Leader has conveyed to us." The Party Leader’s words and achievements have been sufficiently disseminated within the Habin Party. However, as officials of the party, shouldn’t they understand the Leader's words even more profoundly than the ordinary party members? Sutalin decided to interpret the Party Leader's words in front of them for the ideological education of the officials. "Indeed! The Secretary intends to personally explain the Party Leader's words to us." "What an honor!" "If you have any questions, feel free to ask." Sutalin nodded with satisfaction as he saw the enthusiasm brimming in the eyes of the party officials. "Are the wealthy owners of the means of production the new enemies of the Habin Party? Or are we speaking of the bourgeoisie?" "While a good observation, neither is correct. The Party Leader warned us against blind anger." Sutalin calmly shook his head and replied. "Blind anger?" "As we grow larger, don't we see an increasing number of party members blindly showing hostility towards anyone who is wealthy, labeling them all as bourgeoisie? But that’s precisely what the Party Leader cautioned us against." "A warning?" "Not all wealthy individuals are the same. It is those who monopolize the means of production and cause the masses to shed tears! We must vent our anger on the truly malicious bourgeoisie." "Indeed... There are those who have much, yet do not hesitate to give." "Our enemy remains the bourgeoisie, but the Party Leader accurately pinpointed who they truly are!" "Exactly. Even I was awed by the understanding of the Party Leader’s speech! His advice came at just the right moment!" The moment Sutalin comprehended the Party Leader’s words, he was unable to suppress a chill. How could he provide such timely advice while being so far away in the Infinite, as if he were right beside us? Indeed, he is the unparalleled leader of the Habin Party. Sutalin involuntarily bowed deeply in the direction where Infinity lay. "Truly, he is our Party Leader!!!" "Concerned for us even from afar!!!" Expressions of admiration erupted, and questions flowed one after the other once the initial dam was breached. "I too have something I need to understand." "What is it?" Sutalin looked at a young official who had been diligently memorizing the Party Leader’s words as if they were precious scriptures. "In the past, on the promised day, wasn’t it the Party Leader who said to rise with sickles and hammers if there were no weapons of war? Yet, in this recent speech, it seemed as though he belittled the sickle and hammer." "That's right. There are members who put down their swords in favor of the sickle and hammer as their weapon of choice. It’s a symbol of our party, and he referred to it as something one could easily buy with money. Wasn't it a bit dismissive...?" "Foolishness." Sutalin spoke to the young official whose zeal was exceptional, though his thinking lacked depth. "What?" "You’ve missed the most important message, dwelling on the term 'tools'! What did the Party Leader say right after that?" "'Why have you become slaves to what you did not buy with your money?'" The young official recited the line he had pondered on for days, now feeling flustered by Sutalin’s rebuke. "The 'obvious things' the Party Leader spoke of—what do you believe he was referring to? It is the unawakened masses he spoke of." "Unawakened masses?" "Just because bandits wield sickles and hammers, does it make them members of the Habin Party?" "No, it doesn’t." They are merely a band of robbers, sprouting and being cut down like weeds. One cannot call them members of the Habin Party just because of their green hair. The young official's thinking didn’t go beyond this point, but Secretary Sutalin's thoughts were different. "It's obvious they are bandits because they remain unawakened. When those bandits are moved by the Party Leader’s words! When they realize the so-called obvious things are not actually obvious, what do they become?" "They become members of the Habin Party, just like us!" "Only then do the sickle and hammer in their hands truly become weapons of the Habin Party. Do you now understand what is more important?" "Then... could it be that the Party Leader’s words mean...?!" The young official looked wide-eyed at the secretary. "The importance of enlightenment! To awaken those who live in ignorance, accepting the 'obvious'! That is what he wished to teach us! So, what must we do?" The prime task of the Habin Party flashed across the young official’s mind. "Unite the 72 bandit factions into one party...?!" "Yes. To quickly transform those bandits, who see nothing wrong with coveting others' fortunes, into enlightened individuals who do not accept the 'obvious.' His message was to urge us to do just that!" "Indeed!!! The Party Leader concealed such profound meaning in his words!" The young official finally began to grasp some of the vast wisdom in the Party Leader’s words. "To understand this far! You truly are the Secretary!" Other officials, too, praised Secretary Sutalin with eyes of astonishment. "Hah..." "Why the sigh?" The Secretary asked the official who had been delighted with his words but then let out a deep sigh. "The Party Leader hides great meanings even in the smallest of words. Why doesn't he stay with us?" The official bowed their head in sorrowful frustration. "Indeed. Returning to seclusion doesn’t serve as a life of a hermit, nor does he compromise his vision. I simply cannot comprehend why he chooses to become a bourgeois." The Party Leader aims to become the successor of Mangumjeonju. The feats performed in Infinity continue to amaze, but why he chooses the path of a bourgeois remains a mystery. Someone voiced the question everyone wondered but dared not ask. "No one truly grasps the great vision of the Party Leader." Sutalin heaved a heavy sigh, filled with frustration. "Secretary?" "Am I the only one who has even glimpsed a sliver of the Party Leader's grand intentions?" How could these officials, who are to lead the Habin Party, ask such foolish questions? Sutalin felt as if he had no face to show the Party Leader. He felt embarrassed to even lift his head in the direction of where the Infinite lay. "What do you mean?" "There are those who dare to doubt the Party Leader, failing to comprehend his true intentions of wearing the guise of a bourgeois!" To doubt the Party Leader is a grave sin. The officials were startled, looking at Sutalin in shock. "Doubt him? How could we ever doubt the Party Leader? We are merely concerned. Secretary, please dispel our worries!" Sutalin looked at the startled officials, contemplating. Indeed, the Party Leader didn’t leave the Habin Party in his hands without reason. It's the Secretary's duty to guide those who might be foolish yet loyal. Feeling a heavy sense of responsibility for the duty the Party Leader had entrusted him with, Sutalin began speaking calmly. "You did not sense it in his speech? He is currently focused on perfecting his ideology." ————— "Perfecting his ideology?" The Habin Party officers needed a moment to understand the Secretary's words. "The Party Leader withdrew to the countryside to guard against becoming another bourgeois. Yet, surely he must have witnessed inescapable realities there." The Leader chose to be just an ordinary Joseon man with black hair rather than become a bourgeois. However, even such a choice couldn’t shield him from everything. "What do you mean?" "He speaks of the suffering people." "...!" "He mentioned during his speech that unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about their means of production. Hearing his words, I could feel the helplessness he must have felt alone, and it pained my heart!" He had returned to the countryside after abandoning all wealth and power, yet he couldn’t turn a blind eye to the impoverished and hungry. A fleeting look of unavoidable sorrow passed across Sutalin's brow. “If he returned and simply cut down the bourgeois, would that be the end?” “You might be able to cut down a landowner. But after that? What happens when the army descends upon us?” “…” None of the officials could offer an answer. “He must know it too. That regardless of using our powers, using his own abilities, there is nothing to be done about our current world.” A sound of helpless sorrow echoed through the tent. Sutalin felt the urge to join in their grief, but he knew he must not. Because the Party Leader had not given up. "That is why he decided to perfect his ideology, as a way to bring them down." "What exactly does perfecting his ideology mean?" At last, Sutalin began to reveal the meaning behind the Party Leader’s intentions, which he had pondered over for the past few days. "The ancient scholars didn’t just live among the people in the countryside; they mingled with kings, officials, and the wealthy to complete their ideologies through firsthand experience." "Are you referring to philosophical schools like Confucianism, Taoism, the Epicureans, the Stoics, and Legalism?" Sutalin nodded. "Yes. A complete ideology can lead multitudes! He stands beside the bourgeois, directly experiencing how cruel they are, reflecting on which ones should be purged, and organizing his thoughts." Without directly experiencing the bourgeois, it’s hard to truly understand or hold them accountable. Such thoughts are truly fitting for the Party Leader. "Of course! Just like when he infiltrated before, this time, he is wearing the bourgeois' mask to understand them." "Did the officials not witness the man behind the mask? If he genuinely wished to become a bourgeois, would he have incited the workers?" "No! Absolutely not!" "Even at the cost of bearing the infamy of being bourgeois, he aims to rise to the heights for the lowest of the world!" Why would the Party Leader, who could easily become bourgeois, risk his life to stand against the rich and powerful? He is enduring, hiding the boiling hatred towards the bourgeois under a mask, preparing for that day. After countless nights of pondering and interpreting, Sutalin finally succeeded in understanding a fraction of the Party Leader's immense undertaking. "Sniff!" "Sob!" "Our Leader! The Party Leader!" Some hid their faces with their arms and wept, others fell to their knees, crying loudly. “We have glimpsed a fragment of the world the Party Leader is striving to create.” Among a nearly tear-drenched tent, Sutalin calmly mentioned the issue of the paper mill. "Yes, we’ve heard! A world where one can rest every ten days!!!" "A world where you can take at least a day off when times are tough!!!" "A world with provided lunches! And rising wages!" "It truly is a dream world!" "Just like the ancient scholars, the Party Leader is seeking people at the top who can endorse his ideas." With such efforts from the Party Leader, a new world is being built. Sutalin composed himself as he spoke, restraining his rising emotions. "Indeed!" "But could we be wrong in our thinking?" At the outskirts of the tent, a member from the third bandit settlement, not yet fully swayed by the Party Leader's ideology, cast doubt on their belief. “Do you dare question the Secretary, who explains the Party Leader's words correctly?” “That’s enough now.” Sutalin restrained an official who was ready to rebuke the doubting member. “Secretary!” With a look of understanding, Sutalin regarded the tent's outskirts. Indeed, some might harbor doubts in such complicated circumstances. But who is the Party Leader? Is he not the one who has foreseen all of this and communicated his message with foresight? “Look. Knowing that he might be misunderstood, the Party Leader sent us this.” Sutalin presented the evidence from the Party Leader, leaving no room for doubt. "This is a red bandana?! Isn't this the very bandana we tie around our heads before an important undertaking?" What Sutalin showed the officials was a red bandana sent from the Infinite. "I hear that workers wore this red bandana during their strikes, just like us." "...!" "Look at what's written on this red bandana." "Unity and Struggle?!" In bold script, the bandana bore those four characters, directly conveyed by the Party Leader to the Habin Party. "The Party Leader is telling us! Even while wearing the guise of a bourgeois and rising to the top, he will continue to struggle tirelessly! He intends to unite with us wherever we may be!" Any doubts vanished powerlessly in the face of the four characters directly sent by the Party Leader. "Leader! I dared to misunderstand you!!!" "Ah... We failed to grasp the Leader’s great vision!!!" "Until the day the Leader, having developed a philosophy surpassing that of Confucius and Mencius, returns to us with those who align with his beliefs, what must we do?" All questions vanished. Only one thing remained. Sutalin raised his voice to the officials. "For that day!" "For the Habin Party!" "For the returning Leader!" "All for the unity of one party!!!" "Unite the 72 bandit factions into one party! Transform the Green Forest into the Habin Party!" "Until the day the Leader returns, we must tirelessly push forward." What remained for the Habin Party was the expectation for that day. **** "How long has it been since we had a leisurely day?" "Master Kang?" The autumn weather is nice. Enjoying the scenery while sitting on a rock in the garden, Kang Yun Ho found himself accidentally locking eyes with Jegal Sojeo, who was passing by with some documents. Uh-oh. Caught taking a break for a moment. "The autumn breeze is quite refreshing, isn't it?" Feigning innocence, Kang Yun Ho pretended not to know about the paperwork still left to be done, and flashed a friendly smile at Jegal Sojeo. "Master Kang, tomorrow..." "To ensure I don't make any mistakes in front of Mangumjeonju tomorrow, don't you think I should rest well today? Why not join me here for a little break, Jegal Sojeo?" Better to make her an accomplice. He patted the spot beside him on the rock, inviting Jegal Sojeo, who hesitated for a moment. "Oh, um... Yes!" The breeze was cool, and simply watching the scenery together in silence was pleasant enough. Tomorrow marked the end of the second trial. This moment of relaxation was enough before making the next leap forward.