1138 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

"… What did you just say?" Hearing nonsensical chatter from the start of the morning made Father frown. He seemed visibly tired, as if he had just woken up. For some reason, his disheveled hair appeared quite amusing to me. I laughed as I spoke to him. "We talked about this, remember?" It was about the one favor he promised he’d grant me. I reminisced about it as I brought it up to Father. "I need to go to Shanxi. If I recall correctly, that's where your hometown is." "…." Shanxi. Not only was it Father's hometown, but it was also mine. "I have some business to attend to over there. Could you help me get there?" "Huh...?" Father let out a puzzled sigh, seemingly taken aback by my bold request. "To Shanxi? For what business?" "I can't really disclose that, which is why I'm asking for your help." "…." Father’s face twisted at my words. What I meant was, I needed help with something I couldn't openly discuss. "Members of the Command are generally not allowed to leave for six months unless it's for a mission. You're aware of this, right?" "Yes, I'm well aware." More than aware. The funny part? "It was only six months at this time." Back when I was rolling around the League, it seemed more like three years. Was it really just six months back then? It seemed as if something had changed within because of various incidents during that time. "Well, that's fine." Whether it was six months or three years, it hardly mattered. "I don't plan to stay here that long anyway." I had not the slightest intention of rotting away here for either six months or three years. "So, are you asking me to come up with a solution, even though you know everything?" Father asked with a wry smile, and I confidently nodded. "Yes. How else could I ask for a favor?" "Sigh..." If he agreed to help, he had to do it properly. I didn’t really have any other favors to ask of Father. "Shanxi, huh." Father genuinely seemed deep in thought, squinting his eyes contemplatively. After a brief pause, "Do I have to answer right now?" "No, since I'm leaving today anyway, you can give me your answer later in Hanam." Knowing Father’s personality, if it wasn’t possible, then it just truly wasn’t, and I wouldn’t waste any effort on it. However. "If it's not possible, I’ll just have to come up with another method." I needed to go to Shanxi. Preferably in a lawful manner. As ridiculous as calling this lawful may be, it seemed to be optimal. If this didn’t work, though, "I can always break a few laws." Since when did I ever live by the rules? Causing chaos was a specialty of mine, so finding a way wouldn’t be hard. If no way exists, I'll make one. That’s the goal for this life. "Anyways. I've said what I needed to, so I'll start getting ready." I added as I rose to leave. "Take care of yourself. You don’t look too healthy." "…." Father's brows twitched at my words, possibly because I defeated him the previous night. He gave no reply, so I simply closed the door behind me. "Hmm." The bright sunlight kissed my face. I had defeated Father and triumphed over Cheon Jon. Though it was an intense, significant event, occurring in one brief night, "Not much has changed." There was no emotional shift. What meaning was there in overcoming Father in his youth? And what did it matter to defeat Cheon Jon who had already been shattered by the demon within? "Nothing changes." It was the kind of day where the words my ancestors said nagged at my ears. * * * "Hurry up and load it!" The martial artists of the Namgung family moved swiftly with feverish effort. They busily loaded large carriages with supplies, and the number of people bustling about was considerable. It was after a short time had passed since we had driven away the White Ghost Gate. Now that we were certain they wouldn’t retaliate, we were preparing to return to the Martial Alliance. "… It looks like there’s enough food. Did you map out the route?" "Yes. The drivers we’ve prepared are the most experienced ones. The horses as well." Mi Hyo Ran was diligently asking the members various questions as part of the final confirmation process. While more and more baggage piled onto the large carriage, "Shall we get on as well?" I sensed that preparations were wrapping up and was about to board the carriage. "Are you getting on now?" "Yeah. There's only one place for us to board anyway, right?" "… I suppose so." Conversing with Do Yun, I moved to board the small, worn carriage as before. At that moment, "Baek Yang Cheon." Someone called out to me. It was So Yi. Was it because of the previous battle with the demons? After I had impressed her once, the look in her eyes turned rather unfavorable. "What is it?" I asked nonchalantly, and she replied as if she couldn’t quite comprehend. "… Not there, over here." "Pardon?" Over here? Surely she didn’t mean... "… That large carriage?" "Yes." The carriage where Father, Mi Hyo Ran, So Yi, and Mother would ride. But why... "… Why should I?" They crammed four people into this battered carriage and now they want me to board the spacious one? It didn’t make any sense. As I curiously looked at So Yi, she added more information. "… It’s an order from the owner of the carriage." "The owner?" I turned my gaze towards where Mi Hyo Ran was having a conversation. 'Did Madam Mi request this?' She had asked for me to ride in that carriage. I widened my eyes slightly at the thought. 'Why?' A question with no easy answer. As I was pondering it, Mi Hyo Ran’s gaze slid over in my direction. Just as she looked over, I flinched slightly. ‘Get on.’ Mi Hyo Ran mouthed the words. "Well…." I was as surprised by the sudden situation as anyone would be. With eyes full of astonishment, I looked at So Yi and asked her again. "Are you serious I should get on?" "Yes." "Is it just me? Are others coming too?" "So far, you’re the only one who received the request." "But…." Hearing that made me frown. "So, are you saying I should abandon Do Yun and Senior Namgung to ride in that large carriage by myself?" "Right…" Upon hearing my words, So Yi hesitated for a moment. It seemed she also thought it was a bit selfish to leave companions behind and join a more comfortable ride. "I've spent days cramped in this old and worn-out carriage, and now you’re telling me to leave these comrades behind for comfort? They've been riding comfortably in that large carriage all this time?" "Well... that..." Even though the carriage was offered by Mi Hyo Ran, So Yi couldn't deny it was an act of selfishness to have ridden in comfort herself. Her words began to slow down. "Wow... so you're saying I should become a selfish guy who abandons his companions?" "That's not it... Oh... maybe I should go and ask Mi if—" "This is great." "… What?" So Yi halted mid-sentence, and her mouth hung open. "Shall I get on then? My back is sore, and I was wondering how I'd make this work. This changes everything. Shall I go first?" I had already found my way onto the carriage before finishing my sentence. "… Huh?" So Yi watched in a daze as I boarded the carriage. What was I supposed to do? "Being selfish, huh." It's alright to be selfish to this extent, isn't it? Suffering together only doubles the hardship; isn’t it beneficial if one side isn't burdened? Watching Do Yun gaze at me in disbelief from afar, I thought, "Such is life." I only hoped he could endure the cold reality. Noticing So Yi still standing outside, I propped my chin with my hand, waiting. "There, there." "… Uh?" I reacted belatedly to a voice that reached my ear. Turning my head, I was startled. "… Oh, goodness!" It was Mother. She was already seated comfortably in the carriage, smiling brightly. "… I hadn't noticed." Once again, I failed to sense Mother's presence here. "… Why, may I ask?" Mother leaned in close, still smiling at me, and I tried not to appear flustered as I inquired. "Did you have breakfast?" "Excuse me?" Suddenly, we're talking about breakfast? "No, I haven’t." I had skipped breakfast. I wasn't particularly hungry, and there was no pressing need to eat. But then, "That won't do." Mother sternly spoke, her expression suddenly serious. "You need to eat properly. Hunger is no joke." "Ah, well, I don’t exactly feel hungry—" "Here, take this." Seemingly uninterested in my response, Mother took something out from her sleeve. What was that? "... Rice balls?" It looked like rice balls, or bits of mysterious food clumped together. What is this? Such a sudden offering. "Eat this. Hyun gave it to me." "Hyun? Who is Hy—" The question trailed off as I recalled someone who could possibly be called Hyun. There was only one person she could be referring to in this context. "… Are you talking about Hyun Soyeon?" "That's right." "…." When did she find time to prepare something like this? The thought of Hyun Soyeon making and giving food to my mother amazed me. "Go ahead and eat it yourself, Mother." Why would I take food from my own mother? I wasn’t even hungry, and it wasn’t really necessary. With that thought, I gently pushed the rice ball back to her. "Oh, no! You have to eat it! I didn't prepare this for myself!" "That's ridiculous. Last time I saw you devour absolutely everything in no time. Please, go ahead." A comical tug-of-war over food ensued. Why is she so insistent on making me eat? It reminded me of those childhood moments with Wi Seol A, who would always try to make me eat. As the back-and-forth continued for a while, "Ah…" I started growing weary of the struggle. "… Fine, just one bite." "Yes! Perfect!" Resigned, I took a bite of the rice ball with a sigh. Just then, "…." The door opened, and my eyes met someone else's. It was Father. "…." "…." In context, I was in the act of biting into the rice ball that Mother had given me. Mother was holding the rice ball, ensuring it wouldn't drop, and was extraordinarily close. I was frozen in place. Father's gaze remained expressionless, but... 'Somehow.' I instinctively sensed that his expression wasn’t entirely blank. Just when I thought I had to escape this awkward situation, "Oh my." Mi Hyo Ran appeared behind Father, taking stock of the situation. And then. "You're getting along well, I see." She let out a soft chuckle and commented. "…." The comment seemed to make the air inside the carriage turn notably colder.