Chapter 6
If We Don’t Protect Them, Who Will? (1)
“No.”
Baek Socheon refused flatly and turned away.
Beon Saeng hurried after him and blocked his path.
“Please allow me to serve you as my elder brother.”
Beon Saeng’s decision had been entirely impulsive. Until he arrived here, he had never intended to do anything of the sort.
There were several reasons behind it.
First, he was drunk and emotionally worked up. Second, seeing Baek Socheon train had stirred something in him. Third, Baek Socheon was old enough to be treated as an elder brother. On top of that, he had once belonged to the Iron Sword Corps, which had been Beon Saeng’s lifelong dream.
They had known each other for less than a day, yet Baek Socheon already seemed more extraordinary than any martial artist Beon Saeng had ever met.
Did one need to drink an entire ocean to know that seawater was salty?
A single sip was enough to tell him that Baek Socheon was not bland water like himself.
“From now on, I’ll take care of everything for you, Elder Brother. Not just your work at the branch. I’ll do your laundry, clean your room, and run all your errands.”
“That would make you a servant, not a younger brother.”
“It is loyalty.”
“Go home. If I accepted everyone who came to me like this, I would have more than a thousand younger brothers by now.”
“I don’t care if I’m the thousandth.”
At that moment, Beon Saeng thought,
A thousand? That’s quite the boast.
Of course, in Beon Saeng’s current state, even that sounded like a charming human quality.
“Even if you refuse, I’ll still treat you as my elder brother. That’s my choice, isn’t it?”
Baek Socheon silently stared at him.
“Why do you want to become my younger brother?”
His tone had grown more casual.
Taking that as an opportunity, Beon Saeng revealed his true feelings.
“Ever since I was young, my dream was to join the Iron Sword Corps. Now I’m living pathetically in a place like this, but I believe meeting you was an opportunity granted to me by the heavens. Even if I’m starting late, I want to change my life.”
“Changing your life… isn’t easy.”
“I’ll work hard.”
“It probably won’t work even if you do.”
“Then I’ll work twice as hard. Three times as hard.”
“Hmm… You’ll definitely regret this once you sober up.”
Realizing that Baek Socheon was beginning to give in, Beon Saeng pressed ahead recklessly.
“I absolutely won’t regret it. Then I’ll take that as permission. Thank you, Elder Brother. Hahaha.”
Sensing that Baek Socheon was about to refuse again, Beon Saeng even made a promise he had no ability to keep.
“Tomorrow, I’ll personally take care of every last bastard in the Taejeong Sect!”
The next morning, Beon Saeng sat in the branch office clutching his head.
It was not only because of his pounding hangover.
“Ah, I must have been insane. I need to quit drinking first!”
Beon Saeng regretted everything.
How could he have taken a newly arrived subordinate as his elder brother?
After knowing him for only one day, no less.
What had he said?
That meeting Baek Socheon was his opportunity to change his life?
“Ugh, you lunatic!”
He had even boldly declared that he would clean Baek Socheon’s room and do all his laundry.
What kind of idiotic behavior was that?
You fool. Clean your own room first.
Anyone who saw Beon Saeng’s room might think he had set up a formation inside it.
Beon Saeng repeatedly banged his head against the desk.
Ah! I wish it had all been a dream.
It felt like encountering a traveling medicine peddler and thinking, This swindling bastard. Let me see what tricks he has, only to come to his senses later and find himself walking home with both arms full of medicine.
What in the world had possessed him?
“Should I say it was a joke? Or should I pretend it never happened and deny everything?”
A voice came from behind him.
“What are you muttering to yourself about?”
Beon Saeng flinched and turned around.
It was Im Chung.
“Did you establish discipline properly?”
Beon Saeng raised a fist into the air.
“Of course! You haven’t seen me fight yet, have you? I was once an aspiring member of the Iron Sword Corps too.”
Just then, Baek Socheon entered and greeted them.
Seeing that he looked completely unharmed, Im Chung whispered into Beon Saeng’s ear.
“He looks fine.”
Beon Saeng lowered his voice even further.
“He must be suffering from severe internal injuries.”
“Well done.”
Im Chung smiled and entered his office.
Of course, he did not believe a word Beon Saeng had said.
It would be fortunate if he wasn’t the one who got beaten up. Anyway, I’m glad nothing serious happened.
Once Im Chung had gone inside, Baek Socheon pointed at the paperwork on the desk.
“Aren’t you taking these?”
“Huh? What?”
“You said you would do all my work too. Take these and get started.”
“Well…”
Beon Saeng hesitated, unsure of how to answer.
Baek Socheon spoke as if mocking him.
“I told you that you would regret it once you sobered up.”
The words flew like hidden weapons and lodged themselves in Beon Saeng’s pride.
Beon Saeng abruptly stood.
“I’m a man who keeps his promises! Don’t look down on me.”
He strode over and carried Baek Socheon’s documents to his own desk.
However, he was already regretting it before he even sat down.
Ah, you lunatic. This isn’t what you were supposed to do. You couldn’t hold back for even a moment and took the work? You should have said it was a joke.
Once he saw Baek Socheon’s face, things never went as he had planned.
There was something about Baek Socheon himself that provoked people.
Something strange that prodded at their pride and emotions.
“What about the other promise?”
“What promise?”
“You said you would deal with all the black society bastards today.”
Beon Saeng’s eyes widened.
“I did?”
He pretended not to remember, but he remembered it clearly.
At that moment, he had genuinely felt capable of beating every last one of them.
He could do Baek Socheon’s paperwork in his place, but eliminating the black society was impossible.
Baek Socheon walked over and took his documents back.
“Forget it. People say all kinds of things when they’re drunk.”
Had Baek Socheon called him pathetic, it might have been easier.
Instead, the polite suggestion that they simply pretend it had never happened made something surge inside Beon Saeng again.
His lips trembled.
He had always felt terrible about being unable to help those being tormented.
Fine.
He would do it.
I’ll take care of every last bastard in the black society! I’ll keep that promise too!
The heart of twenty-six-year-old Beon Saeng burst into flames, and the words rose all the way to his throat.
But another Beon Saeng stopped him.
Hey, are you insane? You know how cruel the Taejeong Sect’s leader is. Fine, let’s say you somehow get lucky and capture him. What happens if he orders his subordinates outside to kill you? And that isn’t all. What are you going to do about the Shinhwa Gang backing him? They could have someone like you thrown out of the Martial Alliance overnight.
Then another Beon Saeng encouraged him.
The fact that those words came out the moment you got drunk means this is what you have wanted to do all along! You coward. Do the right thing at least once! Isn’t that why you became a martial artist?
And if you die like a dog, do you think that man will shed even a single tear for you?
You’re not doing it for him to see. You’re doing it for the people who are suffering. This has meaning. Even if you die, it will still have meaning.
If Beon Saeng had been practicing breath circulation at that moment, he would undoubtedly have fallen into qi deviation.
Just then, the door to the branch chief’s office opened, and Im Chung stepped outside.
“Squad Leader Beon, follow me. There’s somewhere we need to go together.”
As they left the branch, Beon Saeng spoke in a dejected voice.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“I know everything. You can hear voices from outside even when you’re inside.”
He had deliberately spoken loudly enough for Im Chung to hear, hoping the Branch Chief would stop him.
You sneaky bastard. Even in that situation, you were still looking for a way out. You’re hopeless trash. Absolute trash.
Im Chung consoled him.
“Why are you letting a newcomer push you around?”
“Exactly. I shouldn’t have asked to serve him as my elder brother.”
“You asked to serve him as your elder brother?”
“…Yes.”
“You’re always pretending to be so clever.”
“…”
After walking for a while, Beon Saeng stopped and cautiously asked,
“Is there really nothing we can do about the Taejeong Sect? Even if we request support from the division?”
“And what will you do after that?”
The real problem was the Shinhwa Gang behind them.
Had the Taejeong Sect been acting alone, Im Chung would never have allowed them to run rampant like this.
Beon Saeng knew that as well.
Right. The Branch Chief must be frustrated too.
Feeling apologetic, Beon Saeng changed the subject first.
“By the way, where are we going?”
“You’re asking awfully late. We’re going to the Jo Estate.”
Im Chung and Beon Saeng arrived at the Jo Estate.
They had come to investigate the massacre of Yang Chu’s family.
The person Yang Chu had been closest to during his lifetime was none other than the master of the Jo Estate.
Estate Master Jo must know something.
The two were being guided toward the guest hall by a servant when two men approached from the opposite direction.
To their surprise, they were Wang Gon and Cheuk Su.
“Branch Chief Im, what brings you here?”
Im Chung was startled to encounter Wang Gon in such an unexpected place.
“There was a murder yesterday. I came to speak with Estate Master Jo as part of the investigation.”
“I heard about it. A truly unfortunate affair. Make sure you catch whoever did it.”
“I will do my best.”
“Ah, and we still have some catching up to do. Let us arrange a gathering soon.”
“Yes. I’ll see you another time.”
Wang Gon and Cheuk Su walked past them.
Unlike Wang Gon, who passed with a smile, Cheuk Su glared at them with a mocking expression.
Once they had disappeared into the distance, Beon Saeng spoke.
“Did you see the look in that bastard’s eyes?”
“I did.”
Every signal that Cheuk Su sent toward others was filled with mockery and contempt.
“That mongrel only feels pleasure when he crushes someone beneath him with sheer force.”
Im Chung resumed walking.
The problem is that there are far too many people like him in this world now.
“I never dreamed that my friend would meet such a miserable end.”
Jo Jin, the master of the Jo Estate, looked exhausted and haggard.
“You must be deeply grieved.”
“I knew Yang Chu for thirty years.”
“Then he must have been like family.”
“That is correct. You could say our bond was deeper than blood.”
After expressing his condolences over Yang Chu’s death, Im Chung began asking questions in earnest.
“When was the last time you saw Great Hero Yang?”
“One month ago.”
“Was there anything unusual about him?”
“No. Nothing.”
“Do you remember anything he said?”
“We only exchanged ordinary conversation before parting, as always.”
Im Chung could hear that Jo Jin’s voice was trembling.
He was clearly behaving differently from usual.
Then again, it would have been stranger if he had remained perfectly calm after his closest friend’s entire family had been slaughtered.
“Has Great Hero Yang been on bad terms with anyone recently?”
There was a long pause before the answer came.
“I have heard nothing of the sort.”
Whether Jo Jin was deliberately revealing his unease or simply unable to conceal it, one thing was certain.
He is hiding something.
Considering how close he had been to Yang Chu, one would expect him to say anything that might help catch the murderer.
What could he possibly be hiding?
A man of Jo Jin’s standing should have had little to fear.
At that moment, Wang Gon’s face suddenly came to mind.
It seemed strange that they had happened to meet him here today of all days.
“I encountered Hall Master Wang on my way in.”
Jo Jin flinched at the abrupt remark.
“It had also been a long time since I last saw him.”
“He is someone who works very hard for our region.”
“That is correct.”
The moment Wang Gon was mentioned, Jo Jin’s eyes began wavering even more, and he could no longer meet Im Chung’s gaze properly.
Could it be? Is this connected to them?
There were only a few people in Zhejiang Province powerful enough to silence the master of the Jo Estate.
The Shinhwa Gang was undoubtedly among them.
Was the person who had recently fallen out with Yang Chu Wang Gon? Or perhaps the Shinhwa Gang itself?
Im Chung began to suspect that Wang Gon had arrived ahead of him to threaten Jo Jin.
No, he may not even have needed to threaten him directly.
The visit itself would have been intimidating enough.
Then why had Wang Gon come here at the exact time Im Chung was visiting?
Was it merely coincidence?
Could he have anticipated that I would come?
Im Chung had contacted the Jo Estate in advance to arrange the meeting, so it was possible Wang Gon had deliberately timed his visit to coincide with it.
If so, this had not only been a threat aimed at Jo Jin.
It had also been a warning directed at Im Chung.
Before long, Im Chung shook his head.
An entire family had been massacred.
Still, they are a righteous faction in name… Surely they would not go that far.
***
After leaving the Jo Estate, the two returned to the branch.
When they were nearly there, Im Chung spoke to Beon Saeng.
“I’ll explain the matter of the black society to Baek Socheon.”
“No. I’ll handle it myself.”
“Can you do that?”
“I caused this mess, so I should clean it up.”
His pride would certainly be wounded in the process, but that was better than pushing it onto someone else merely to escape the moment and regretting it later.
Upon returning to the branch, Beon Saeng approached Baek Socheon.
“There’s something I need to tell you. Have a drink with me later.”
“All right.”
Beon Saeng could not concentrate on his work for the entire day.
He regretted rashly promising to destroy the Taejeong Sect. He felt guilty toward the merchants. He was also angry that things had turned out this way when he had wanted so badly to impress Baek Socheon—enough to ask to serve him as an elder brother.
I’ll speak honestly with him.
That was the decision Beon Saeng reached.
After finishing their work for the day, Baek Socheon and Beon Saeng headed into the marketplace.
A loud crashing sound came from the hardware store in front of the inn they were planning to visit.
The moment Beon Saeng recognized the location and the men standing outside, he groaned.
“Ah!”
What kind of cruel joke was fate playing on him?
The men surrounding the entrance to the hardware store were members of the Taejeong Sect.
The owner was Old Man Go, the very person who had submitted the recent petitions.
Why are you putting me through such an ordeal?
Beon Saeng resented the heavens.
He wanted to turn around and leave.
Had he been alone, he would have done exactly that.
At that moment, Baek Socheon spoke in a gentle tone.
“Shall we have that drink another time?”
Had Baek Socheon ordered him to go help, Beon Saeng might actually have hesitated.
He would have come up with one excuse after another.
But at Baek Socheon’s consideration—though Beon Saeng was certain it was also a deliberate provocation—his emotions surged once more.
Instead of answering, Beon Saeng shouted toward the Taejeong Sect members.
“You bastards! Stop right there!”