The Mindset of Not Giving Even When You Have
I changed out of my blood-stained clothes and washed my face before sitting down with the leaders to start drinking.
After I had lost count of how many cups I had downed, I noticed that Dokgo-seng, who had been drinking with a consistently stoic expression, suddenly began to laugh.
I looked at him with bleary eyes.
"Have you lost your mind? Why are you laughing all of a sudden?" The leaders shook their heads as if they were just as confused.
"I don't know."
"We've never seen this before."
I had just witnessed a curious scene.
Dokgo-seng was truly an awkward man when it came to laughing.
He seemed like someone who was forcing himself to make a sound, as if he was practicing how to laugh.
The sight was so bizarre that I couldn't help but curse inwardly.
"Oh, what a madman."
After a while, Dokgo-seng burst into laughter a few more times before returning to his usual stoic demeanor as he drank.
He never explained why he had laughed or what he had been thinking.
I didn't ask either.
If he wanted to laugh, then let him laugh; it wasn't a big deal.
But perhaps feeling a bit awkward himself, Dokgo-seng said, "I won."
"Won what?"
"I was kidnapped when I was young and brought here, and now look at this day."
I looked at the leaders and Dokgo-seng.
"All the guys who were captured with me are dead. Some sank with the ship, and others were murdered. My only goal was to survive. My wish was to outlive the old folks. If I got lucky and became stronger, I thought I would kill them all myself. I feel like something has been taken from me, but in the end, I won."
If surviving is winning, then Dokgo-seng was indeed right.
While drinking, Dokgo-seng asked me, "What kind of power is the Haowon? I've never heard of it."
I took a sip of my drink and replied, "There are those who work in the Gilu, some in the Jeomsoui, the owner of the Banjeom, Cheolbang, construction, and the Heukdo, as well as those with nothing to do and those with plenty to do."
"It's a mess."
"It is a mess."
The foolish leader chimed in, "We're a mess too."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"That's true."
Even I, who was usually talkative, listened to the leaders' stories while drinking.
Dokgo-seng seemed to be a lonely leader, much like his surname, Dokgo (獨孤).
If the ones who died on the ship were on the side of the elders, then killing them wouldn't have been that difficult.
I didn't bother to ask.
After all, Dokgo-seng was just that kind of person.
Judging that it was an appropriate time, I stood up.
"You all should drink moderately. The elders with severed arms might have other thoughts."
Dokgo-seng shook his head as if it was impossible.
"Anyway, the strongest elders after the Boju all have their arms severed. Even if we bring in the lower folks, it won't change the overall situation."
So you had it all planned out.
That's why you went to mock that elder with the severed arm earlier.
"I'm leaving."
Dokgo-seng stood up and ordered the gathering to disperse, then said to the leaders, "I'll see you off."
There were no longer any obstacles in my way.
I realized that to return quickly, I needed to take a boat.
Dokgo-seng said he would accompany me down to the lower reaches of the Iryong River and boarded the boat with me.
"…Once things are settled, should I report to Il Yang-hyeon?"
"For now, to Heukmyobang. If I'm not there, then to Il Yang-hyeon."
"Heukmyobang?"
"I'm the leader of Heukmyobang."
"Is it the Twelve Divine Generals?"
"No, I'm pretending to be one of the Twelve Divine Generals."
Dokgo-seng asked, "Are you trying to kill the Daenachal?"
I nodded, and Dokgo-seng showed interest.
"I hear he's strong."
"That would be the case."
"What should we do if you die? Should we just open the premises and live as you said earlier?"
"Do you think I'm going to die?"
Dokgo-seng glanced at me and replied dryly, "I don't particularly think so. If there's a favor, it should be repaid, and if there's a grudge, it should be repaid double. When you go to kill the Daenachal, call me if you need."
"Are you saying you'll help me?"
"Am I ignoring you?"
"Just being alive is helping. If you die, Heukseonbo will fall into chaos. You survive your way, and I'll survive mine."
A little later, I got off the boat at the lower reaches of the Iryong River, and Dokgo-seng remained.
On the boat, Dokgo-seng didn't even say the usual farewell.
"If we break down the city walls, will life get a bit better?"
"There might not be any immediate change."
"Is that so?"
"I saw many children when heading to Daechung. Those children will be better off than you."
Dokgo-seng nodded in response.
"Then that's good."
It was surprising, but now the leader of the force known as Heukseonbo was Dokgo-seng.
I looked at Dokgo-seng's stoic expression and nodded.
"If we're alive, we'll see each other again."
I turned around and walked for a while, feeling an unusual heat at the back of my head, so I looked back.
Dokgo-seng was sitting at the bow, arms crossed, glaring at me.
"That startled me."
Dokgo-seng uncrossed his arms and waved his hand twice.
I had never seen someone greet so awkwardly.
As the boat set off, Dokgo-seng suddenly shouted, "Ija-ha!"
"Why?"
Dokgo-seng's lips awkwardly curled up.
"You can keep speaking informally to this hyung from now on. Take care."
As the boat drifted away, Dokgo-seng's figure quickly disappeared from the bow.
I moved towards the path leading to Heukmyobang from the Iryong River mouth, muttering to myself, "…What an impudent brat."
When I arrived near Heukmyobang, I sensed something strange in the atmosphere.
No matter how late it was, I couldn't hear any screams from those training.
'Did someone come?'
I was about to climb the wall but stopped.
A master could have noticed immediately.
I knocked on the front door just like when I first visited Heukmyobang.
After a moment, I heard a clunk— and two eyes appeared in a rectangular space.
The person widened his eyes upon seeing me and opened the door without a word.
As I entered, one of the subordinates looked me up and down.
The captain, who had left in clean white clothes, had returned in shabby attire, so it was no wonder he was surprised.
I asked in a small voice, "Who came?"
"Kimhae (金亥) has arrived."
The golden pig from the Twelve Divine Generals has come, is that what it means? According to the strategy guide, it was unclear whether he became Kimhae due to his gluttony or if he was gluttonous because he was Kimhae.
His strength was said to fluctuate between the seventh and eighth levels.
Due to his innate strength and physical condition, he was known to have become a disciple of the Daenachal, but there were opinions that the wealth of the Kimhae family allowed him to become a disciple.
His family was presumed to be a merchant group.
In other words, Kimhae was the rich young master who contributed the most money to the Daenachal.
Since his interests were solely focused on food, there were no accounts of him causing trouble like Hwang-o, Nok-sool, or Baek-ja.
The strategy guide was thoroughly organized from the perspective of the wall captain, but it had some degree of objectivity.
I also knew some information about these people.
I crossed through the outer and inner courtyards and entered the main hall, only to be taken aback.
A long table was set with a feast.
A man wearing a golden pig mask haphazardly placed on his head was eating.
He looked like a performer taking a break from a face-changing show or like Zhu Bajie from "Journey to the West."
Thinking I was a servant of Heukmyobang, Kimhae slurped and said, "Get me some water over there."
Since pouring water was a former Jeomsoui's specialty, I immediately replied, "Yes."
As I approached with the teapot at the end of the table, Kimhae pinched his nose.
"What is that awful smell? Put the water down over there."
"Yes."
"Get away from me. Ah, what a disgusting smell. What kind of person are you?"
This was a moment where I needed to answer well, but since I was a Jeomsoui, I knew the right answer.
"I apologize."
"Ah, it's an unbelievably unpleasant smell. Get away."
I took a step back.
"Myo-hyung, do you know where he went?"
"No, I don't."
The answer that he went to the heavens almost came out of my mouth.
For a moment, Kimhae set down his chopsticks and pinched his nose with his hand.
A nasal sound came out.
"Do the servants here not wash? Your life is why you're a servant."
'If you're busy, you might not be able to wash, what a nuisance.'
Kimhae waved his hand as if to shoo me away.
"You should go wash up. Serve the others. Where did they all go?"
"That's true. I wonder where they went. It's dinner time, so they might be huddled in some corner of the kitchen eating leftover dishes and cold rice."
I usually did that.
Since I was talking too much for a servant, Kimhae looked at me with a bewildered expression.
"Goodness…"
"Then I'll go wash up."
"You don't need to come back. Don't ever show your face in front of me again."
Kimhae continued to eat without stopping, with enough food in front of him to feed about ten people.
I headed straight to the personal bathroom, washed my body, and then went to a room filled with clean clothes to change into fresh attire.
I had a rough idea of why the subordinates had disappeared.
If a few of the executives, including So-gun-pyeong, teamed up, they could handle someone like Kimhae.
However, since I was absent, and anyway, Kimhae was also a disciple of the Daenachal, it seemed he was just being served food and was hiding somewhere.
Curious about Kimhae's purpose for visiting, I put on the mask of the leader of Heukmyobang, grabbed the Heukmyo, and headed back to the main hall.
Kimhae let out a burp and then looked at me.
"Myo-hyung, it's been a while."
What on earth was the relationship between Heukmyo and Kimhae? Kimhae showed no fear of Heukmyo at all.
I pointed to the food with my chin and said briefly, "Eat comfortably."
There was no need to ask what he had come for.
He seemed to have a lot to say.
Kimhae, with food constantly in his mouth, mumbled as he spoke.
"The Sibis are good at cooking. Every time I come, I feast."
Hearing this out of the blue, I thought that I should later move the Sibis to the Jahagakjeong under Jang Deok-soo.
After all, the inn was large, and there would be a shortage of hands.
Kimhae drank some water and made bubbling sounds in his mouth before swallowing.
"You haven't fought with Baekyu-hyung yet, right? Our merchant group has obtained a special elixir this time. It came from the Western Regions."
"And?"
"Not 'and,' but if it gets into the ears of the master, it will surely be taken away. Since there's still a battle left with Baekyu-hyung, I came to ask if you have any thoughts about passing it on to Myo-hyung at a reasonable price."
"What is it?"
"I bought a large quantity of Baekyeomcho (白炎草), and wow… there are a few roots of a hundred-year-old Baekyeomcho mixed in. I called in an expert to appraise it, and it seems it's not just a hundred years but three or four hundred years old."
I was more intrigued by the mention of the "expert" that Kimhae had called than the elixir itself.
"Who is the expert?"
"We have a smart guy in our neighborhood."
"So who is the expert?"
"Why are you interested in the expert when you have no interest in the elixir?"
"How do I know if the one who verified the elixir is a quack or not?"
"Is business done in a day or two? Why are you being so unpleasant? If you have doubts, don't buy it. There are plenty of people who want it. I thought you were the most needed person, so I came to ask first, but you don't appreciate my sincerity."
"How much?"
At my question, Kimhae pulled the mask he had placed on his head down to his face.
With a smile peeking from behind the mask, Kimhae answered, "Just for three hundred Baekyeomcho, the price will skyrocket. Since we have a credit history from previous transactions, let's settle it for fifty gold coins. I'll throw in ten boxes of regular Baekyeomcho as well. Feed it to your subordinates."
"Bring it."
Kimhae stood up and replied, "Good thinking. I feel a bit sorry to say this, but if you refuse, I was planning to give it to Baekyu-hyung. I will do whatever it takes to delay the martial arts competition, so make sure to take it and fight."
Kimhae suddenly mimicked martial arts with his hands and made whooshing sounds with his mouth.
"Prepare for your breathing exercises."
"Go."
Being the son of a merchant group, he had quite a way with words.
After Kimhae left, I looked at the table.
It felt like a piglet had trampled all over it.
By the way, I had no money.
Anyway, I had none.
Even if I had, I didn't have it.
Though I wasn't part of the Gyeongbang, I was a beggar when it came to calculations.
I closed my eyes for a moment, clearing my mind of the wealth of Il Yang-hyeon and Heukmyobang.
A Jeomsoui is originally a beggar.
A mindset of not giving even when you have.
Peace settled in my heart.