Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1538. It'll be okay (3)
Editor: Hoamz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
An insignificant pebble went flying through the air before dropping into the flowing stream.
Plop.
The stone slipped between the currents and quickly sank deep. It would be indistinguishable from the stones that had already settled there, so it could never be found again.
“Damn it....”
Jo-Gol spat out a low curse and picked up another stone to throw. The stone that had soared freely once again fell into the water and settled deep.
“What did Sasuk say?”
“He said to figure it out ourselves.”
“Sasuk did?”
"That's what he’s saying."
Tang Soso looked at Jo-Gol as if surprised. Figure it out yourselves? Those words had actually come from Baek Cheon’s mouth?
‘That Baek Cheon Sasuk?’
It was truly hard to believe. The man known for his endless nagging had turned his back on this situation? The Baek Cheon she knew would’ve dragged them by the collars or beaten some sense into them until they made up, no matter what it took...
Tang Soso glanced at Jo-Gol.
It was unbelievable, but there was no choice but to believe it. If someone asked her if Jo-Gol is a trustworthy person, she would say absolutely not. But if asked whether he was someone who told lies, the answer would be the same.
In truth, the reason Tang Soso glanced at Jo-Gol wasn't because she doubted Baek Cheon's words. What caught her attention was the expression on Jo-Gol’s face as he relayed the message.
“What’s wrong, Sahyung?”
"...What?"
"Your expression looks really bad?”
“How can I look happy in this situation?”
“It doesn’t seem like that’s the only reason?”
Jo-Gol shut his mouth tightly at the words that struck the mark.
- What are you going to do without me?
He couldn’t answer.
Honestly, he hadn’t even managed to open his mouth. All he could do was keep his mouth shut, look at Baek Cheon, then turn away at the cold dismissal that flew at him.
'Damn it.'
What was he supposed to do? How could he answer a question about something he had never even imagined?
This wasn't Jo-Gol's role in the first place. Wasn't it Chung Myung's, Baek Cheon's, or Yoon Jong's role to agonize over what might happen, prepare for it, and find new paths?
All Jo-Gol had to do was fight hard according to their judgment. But why was he suddenly saying such a thing now?
"Sahyung."
At the voice, Jo-Gol turned to Tang Soso. Her gaze was steady, her face hardened into something unreadable.
For a moment, Jo-Gol felt the urge to pour out all his worries to Tang Soso.
However....
“It’s nothing.”
Jo-Gol quickly threw another pebble in frustration.
Plop.
The pebble quickly disappeared beneath the water's surface.
"Everyone's just getting sensitive as the war approaches."
“What nonsense …”
“What, aren’t they also human? How could anyone stay calm when facing a war where people might die by the dozens?"
"...That's true, but."
Tang Soso muttered as if still unsure. Jo-Gol changed the subject.
"Do you have time to be doing this?"
"What?"
Their eyes met.
“You’re not so free that you can be chatting with some guy who’s got nothing better to do. I heard you’ve been too busy to even breathe?”
“....”
“Don’t worry about other things and just do what you were supposed to do. No…”
Feeling like his words had gone slightly off track, Jo-Gol added something he wouldn't normally have said.
“This is pretty much your dream, isn't it?”
Jo-Gol knew.
It might seem like something that started on impulse, but in truth, he knew how long and how much Tang Soso had agonized over the medical corps and the development of Tang Family.
Everything she has seen, heard, felt, and experienced through her own experiences was reflected in what she does now.
Sometimes, the most important work of a person’s life happens in their earliest years.
If she missed this chance, her dream would never come true. If they won without the medical corps, everyone would undervalue its necessity, and if they lost, there would never be another chance.
Tang Soso knew this fact all too well. A sigh escaped through her lips.
No matter how much you worry, fret, or agonize, the water flows on indifferently. Just like the war that was approaching even at this moment.
It would be nice if it could just stop for a moment. Even just briefly.
“Instead of worrying about this, focus more on the medical corps.”
"Sahyung!"
Jo-Gol gripped a pebble and threw it forcefully.
"You know how it is. Stirring things up now won't change anything. We’re talking about the three most stubborn and ill-tempered people on Mount Hua. I don’t know what they’re sulking about, but let’s just leave them be for now. It’ll probably resolve after some time. No, it’ll at least be better than it is now.”
Tang Soso fell silent. But Jo-Gol could discern the hidden words within that silence.
Do we even have time to leave it be?
Well, who knows?
“So just focus on your work. Don’t let this mess ruin what you’re already doing.”
Tang Soso gazed blankly at the stream where Jo-Gol had been throwing pebbles repeatedly.
Jo-Gol was right. Nothing would change by fretting over a problem that couldn't be solved. It was better to do what she could at that time instead.
“I understand for now.”
She nodded weakly. Then she turned around as if she would do as Jo-Gol said.
“But, Sahyung.”
"What?"
Tang Soso spoke with her back turned.
“You said that what I’m doing now is my dream, right?”
“....”
“You’re right. But… the reason it’s my dream is because doing this is the only way to keep the people of Mount Hua from dying.”
At those words, Jo-Gol's fingertips trembled ever so slightly.
“...That was a pointless remark. Forget it.”
Tang Soso walked away.
Jo-Gol opened his mouth as if to say something, but then quickly shut it tightly again. And he once more let his gaze fall listlessly upon the flowing water.
What a pointless attachment.
Hadn't he already confirmed it countless times?
Neither Tang Soso nor Tang Family could possibly cure Baek Cheon. Tang Soso had probably thought of methods a hundred times more fiercely than Jo-Gol.
He shouldn't reopen such a person's wounds. Tang Soso would likely think all of this happened because of her own incompetence.
“Hah…”
Jo-Gol, who had been watching the stream flow sparkling with abundant sunlight, flopped down right there. The blue sky without a single cloud filled his vision.
“So damn blue.”
As if he didn't want to see it, he squeezed his eyes shut.
* * *
That day, late at night.
Paaaaat!
Chung Myung’s sword pierced the rock before him in a single thrust.
Kagak!
The moment his slightly twisted blade embedded itself, the massive rock shuddered violently.
“Keuk!”
Kwagwang!
The rock that had been pierced by the sword exploded with a deafening roar. Inside the split rock, holes in the shape of plum blossom petals were densely bored.
Chung Myung stared sharply at the damage before growling.
“...Damn it.”
It was a voice that seemed almost like a growl.
It wasn’t enough.
If the sword strike had been proper, the rock wouldn’t have exploded.
A truly efficient and refined sword energy would have shattered only the inside of the rock, leaving its outer surface untouched.
But in the end, this rock had shattered.
After confirming several distorted shapes among the hundreds of plum blossom-shaped sword marks that filled the rock's interior, Chung Myung roughly wiped the sweat flowing down his face.
“Huuu....”
He exhaled deeply. It was to calm the frustration in his chest, but the chaos in his heart wouldn’t settle so easily. If anything, the impatience he had been trying not to acknowledge began crawling up his legs.
'Was it this far away?'
Far in the distance, he seemed to see the back of the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign.
Strong. Majestic. Untouchable.
That was Chung Myung's past, a realm he had already stepped on once. It felt as if he could grab it, but he just couldn't catch it.
Of course, he knew in his head.
Climbing a mountain you've already climbed doesn't make the process any easier. Moreover, it was impossible to climb in just a few years a path that had taken decades the first time.
But even knowing that...
Kwagak.
His sword stabbed into another nearby rock. The red sword energy gathered at the tip of the blade swirled around the body of the sword and soon covered even his wrist.
Kwagwang!
But again, the result was no different.
The rock exploded even more violently than the last. Chung Myung bit his lower lip. He was impatient.
Of course, to solve the various problems scattered around him now, he didn't necessarily need to be stronger than he was in the past.
He held more in his hands than in the past and had also become more adept.
To obsess over something like personal strength was to deny everything he had built since awakening in this world.
But even knowing that, he can't stop.
It was when he put strength into the hand gripping his sword once more.
"Your sword is heavy."
At the sudden voice, his eyes snapped to the side.
A familiar shadow pierced through the darkness and approached him. Chung Myung released the sword energy he had wrapped around his blade and let out a sigh. Then he asked coldly.
"Why?"
Normally, he would have joked, ‘Since when did this place become the neighborhood gathering place?’, but leaving aside dozens of possible responses he could have made, Chung Myung only let out a cold voice.
It was a reaction that would make anyone flinch. However, the approaching person paid no mind to Chung Myung's sharp-edged reaction.
Or rather, it was impossible to tell if she cared at all.
Yoo Iseol’s expression was always like that.
She approached with steps that were neither fast nor slow and stopped right in front of Chung Myung.
They confronted each other briefly in silence.
Unable to overcome the stillness, the one who first raised the white flag was Chung Myung.
“What are you here for, Sago? Normally, you don’t come to..."
But Chung Myung had to cut himself off mid-sentence. Yoo Iseol's gaze ignored his words and turned downward.
Her gaze stopped at Chung Myung’s ankle. The white martial robe wrapped around his ankle had turned bright red at some point. It seemed fragments from the rock had grazed the area around his ankle..
This wasn’t the kind of injury Chung Myung would normally allow. But today, not only had he been injured, he hadn’t even realized he was injured. Proof of just how unsettled his mind was. Chung Myung felt a bitter...
Thwack!
“Aaaah!”
Chung Myung’s eyes widened as he clutched his head and stumbled back in shock.
Before he knew it, Yoo Iseol was holding her sword still in its sheath.
“Why’d you suddenly hit me!”
Thwack!
But Yoo Iseol's scabbard struck Chung Myung's head again.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
At the attack that poured down without preamble, Chung Myung dodged while covering his head.
"No, did Sago suddenly go crazy? Why are you doing this!"
When Chung Myung burst out shouting, Yoo Iseol opened her mouth with an indifferent expression.
"Stupid."
"...Huh?"
"Idiot."
“No. Why did you suddenly come here and pick a fight…”
“Give me your leg.”
"Huh?"
Chung Myung glanced down at his own leg. A fair amount of blood was flowing, but this was no different from a scratch.
“…What’s the big deal about something like this. It’s fine.”
“Give.”
“I said it’s fine…”
Shwwwiiing.
Yoo Iseol's sword was slowly drawn with a chilling sound.
Chung Myung awkwardly stuck out his injured leg.
"Here."
… Honestly, even he was a little scared of Yoo Iseol.
|Note
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