When Tears Fall From Our Eyes (1)
Once again, a delivery arrived at the estate where Im Yeon-jeong was staying.
Il-ho and Chil-ho were the ones silently unloading the goods.
“I’ll take these to her room.”
“Please do.”
Il-ho handed over the items to her.
Im Yeon-jeong didn’t have the best opinion of her. She was never one to hide her feelings. If she disliked something, she made it clear, and she avoided people she didn’t care for.
“How’s work these days?”
“It’s fine.”
“And Im Yeon-jeong?”
“Still the same. She mentioned that the major ceremony would begin in earnest after the coronation.”
Il-ho nodded. With nothing more to say, Chil-ho turned to leave.
“Well then.”
As she took a few steps away, Il-ho called out from behind.
“Don’t let personal feelings sway you.”
When Chil-ho turned back, Il-ho was already striding away.
She didn’t see the expression on his face.
An expression tinged with regret, feeling that his last words were uncharacteristic of him.
But since she hadn’t seen it, and even if she had, she wouldn’t have understood his feelings, Chil-ho felt no emotional disturbance. It was something a superior might say once in a while.
“Alright.”
She answered briefly, almost to herself, and carried the items inside.
Im Yeon-jeong was busy in her study, preparing for the major ceremony. The materials in the boxes were being unpacked, sorted, and combined into new forms.
“New supplies have arrived.”
“Place them here.”
Chil-ho set the box on the table. The items needed for the ceremony were coming from all over the central plains. Sometimes they included freshly harvested herbs or live venomous creatures.
“I’ll handle the sorting.”
“Please do.”
As Chil-ho turned to leave, Im Yeon-jeong spoke to her.
“It’s a lovely name.”
“Sorry?”
“Baek-ryeon, it suits you well.”
Chil-ho thought it couldn’t be true. Even though lotuses grow in the mud, their beauty always felt distant from her.
It was probably just a compliment.
With the brightest smile she could muster, Chil-ho replied.
“Thank you.”
Yet, she couldn’t forget the moment Byeok-ri-dan had given her that name.
While drinking with him in the fields, she had casually mentioned that she had long lost her name. Thankfully, Byeok-ri-dan had remembered.
Even if it didn’t suit her… she loved the name Baek-ryeon.
“First, let me tell you about Ma Gung-tae.”
Ma Gung-tae, anticipating that Ma Yang-hwa would send experts to kill us, Gal Sa-ryang devised a plan.
“Ma Gung-tae is often thought to be hot-headed and reckless, but in truth, he’s quite cunning.”
“A disguise?”
“Yes, exactly. He appears like a bear, but inside, he’s a fox. On the other hand, Ma Yang-hwa seems calm and broad-minded but is actually suspicious and hates losing.”
“If we need to divide them, Ma Yang-hwa should be our first target.”
“I agree.”
A person who hates losing is easier to manipulate. When you overcalculate, mistakes are bound to happen.
“Since they’ve decided to kill us, we won’t hold back. We’ll eliminate Ma Yang-hwa, Ma Gung-tae, and all their followers.”
We’ll show them what happens when they mess with us.
“Where are they now?”
“Currently, Ma Yang-hwa and Ma Gung-tae are guests of Ju Cheol-ryong, staying at the guest quarters of the Guangyue Hall within the Martial Alliance.”
“They’ve hidden in the safest place.”
“Indeed.”
They were aware of the danger this situation posed.
“We need to lure them out somehow. We’ll need someone they trust.”
After a moment of thought, Gal Sa-ryang came up with someone.
“Fortunately, we have someone they trust among our ranks.”
“Who is it?”
Gal Sa-ryang grinned.
“Would you like to come and see?”
Half a shichen later, Gal Sa-ryang and I were entering the underground prison of the Martial Alliance’s main hall.
Guided by a guard, we walked through the heavily secured corridors of the prison.
As the current chief military officer of the Martial Alliance, Gal Sa-ryang had free access to the prison. In fact, by the rules of the alliance, he was the highest authority at the moment.
The guard led us to a metal door. Through a small opening, we could see the former chief military officer, Sa Ma-cheon.
The guard opened the door, and Gal Sa-ryang and I stepped inside.
“You?”
Sa Ma-cheon was startled to see Gal Sa-ryang. His eyes were sunken, his face gaunt, his hair disheveled, and his beard unkempt. He was almost unrecognizable.
“How have you been?”
“You! This is all your doing, conspiring with the law enforcement chief!”
While Sa Ma-cheon was agitated, Gal Sa-ryang remained calm.
“Perhaps because you kept someone like Jo Byeok as your right hand.”
“You bastard! I’ll kill you!”
Sa Ma-cheon lunged, trying to grab Gal Sa-ryang by the collar. I restrained him, pushing him back.
Sa Ma-cheon didn’t even acknowledge my presence. He just saw me as someone protecting Gal Sa-ryang.
“Calm down.”
“Do I look like I can be calm?”
“So? Are you going to throw away your only chance to get out of here by raging like this?”
Sa Ma-cheon was taken aback by those words.
“I can get out of here?”
“I’m still the chief military officer of the Martial Alliance, and the leader’s position is vacant.”
In other words, he could easily get a prisoner out of the cell. After all, Sa Ma-cheon hadn’t committed treason.
A moment of silence passed.
“Did you kill the leader?”
“No.”
“Then who did?”
“The ones behind it. You must have known about their existence.”
Sa Ma-cheon couldn’t deny it. He had sensed the presence of those behind the scenes. He had just turned a blind eye for his own gain. Now, he realized that his imprisonment might be the result of his irresponsibility and self-deception.
“You deceived me.”
He had endured all sorts of hardships under him, acting like a washed-up officer.
But seeing the sharpness in Gal Sa-ryang now, he realized it had all been a facade.
“The one who reinstated me as chief military officer was Ma Bong-gi, whom you served.”
“That foolish old man!”
The target of his anger was, of course, Ma Bong-gi. How could he think of reinstating Gal Sa-ryang as chief military officer instead of freeing him? He felt that Ma Bong-gi deserved to die.
Sa Ma-cheon wanted to get out of there. He couldn’t endure the hellish prison any longer.
“How do you plan to get me out?”
“You’re asking the wrong question.”
Gal Sa-ryang looked at him coldly and added.
“You should be asking what you need to do for me to get you out.”
When Gal Sa-ryang and I returned to our quarters, someone was waiting for me.
To my surprise, it was Chil-ho.
“What brings you here?”
“I have something to discuss with you.”
“Have you been waiting long?”
“No, I just arrived. I was about to leave, thinking you weren’t here, but you came just in time.”
Uncharacteristically, she added an explanation. She must have been waiting for a while.
Gal Sa-ryang tactfully excused himself.
“I’m tired, so I’ll rest first.”
I spoke to her.
“I don’t think we can go outside. Is it alright to talk here?”
“That’s fine.”
We strolled around the courtyard. Though small, it was beautifully adorned with trees and flowers.
Of course, the dark array installed here was currently inactive. If activated, this place would become an inescapable death trap. Once the array was complete, it would be even more terrifying.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For giving me a name.”
“Oh, I hope it wasn’t a bother.”
“No, I really liked it.”
“I’m glad.”
“I don’t think I properly thanked you that day…”
Suddenly, she started to cry. It wasn’t me who was surprised, but her.
“Huh?”
She seemed bewildered, as if she had never cried before.
“Why am I crying all of a sudden?”
It wasn’t a slow build-up of sadness; the tears just flowed unexpectedly.
There was no apparent reason, yet tears came out of nowhere.
Like someone seeing rain for the first time, she watched the tears fall onto her palm.
Just as I was at a loss for words, a familiar voice called out from behind.
“Young master!”
Turning around, I saw Gwang-du running towards me, stopping abruptly when he noticed Chil-ho.
“Huh?”
Behind Gwang-du stood Song Hwa-rin.
Seeing Chil-ho and me together, they all looked surprised.
Chil-ho quickly wiped her tears at their arrival.
Seeing a woman crying in front of me, everyone was taken aback.
Song Hwa-rin was startled, and Gwang-du was flustered. Soo-ran even frowned.
Silence hung in the air.
“Making a lady cry. You’re quite the man, young master.”
Gwang-du’s usual jest didn’t amuse Song Hwa-rin this time.
Silence fell again.
Finally, Song Hwa-rin slowly approached Chil-ho and spoke.
“Hello, I’m Song Hwa-rin.”
Unexpectedly, Song Hwa-rin didn’t seem too flustered or angry.
Chil-ho accepted the greeting politely.
“I’m… Baek-ryeon. I’ll be going now.”
“Yes, see you next time.”
As Chil-ho left, Soo-ran glared and said.
“Our young lady is engaged to Byeok Gong-ja.”
The mention of a fiancée made Chil-ho flinch.
“Don’t misunderstand. I have nothing to do with Byeok-gun.”
Ironically, that statement only seemed to invite more misunderstanding.
Chil-ho quickly walked away from the scene.
Before I knew it, Gwang-du was beside me, whispering in my ear.
“Player.”
“It’s a misunderstanding.”
“Liar and a player.”
This time, Song Hwa-rin approached me. She asked in the same calm tone she had used with Chil-ho.
“How have you been?”
“Thanks to you, well. You came without any notice?”
“Gwang-mu said it would be more surprising if I came unannounced. And it was.”
I glanced at Gwang-du, who pretended not to hear and looked away.
“Do we have a room to stay in?”
“Of course. You can use the room at the far left.”
“Thank you.”
Song Hwa-rin led Su-ran into the building. She was calm—almost too calm.
Watching her disappear into the distance, I asked Gwang-du, “She doesn’t look too happy, does she?”
“No.”
“How bad is it?”
“It’s like the calm before the storm, the night before a great battle.”
It wasn’t entirely a joke, so I sighed.
Gwang-du tried to console me. “Master, why don’t you just live with me forever?”
“Maybe I should… with you? What about Do-soon?”
“Who’s Do-soon? What a rustic name.”
“Didn’t work out again, huh?”
This time, Gwang-du let out a long sigh. “It’s a long story. Oh, Master, let’s just live together. In a world without women. We can live well! In a peaceful world without jealousy and misunderstandings, let’s live freely!”
Though it wasn’t a situation to laugh at, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
As I walked toward the building, Gwang-du called after me, “Where are you going? You’re not going to clear things up with Miss Song, are you?”
Without turning back, I replied, “I can’t live with you.”
“Traitor!”
“Considering how you encouraged me to pursue Miss Song, who’s the real traitor?”
Gwang-du laughed and followed me. “Where’s my room?”
That night, I found myself in the courtyard with Song Hwa-rin.
We walked back and forth in silence, enjoying the moonlit stroll, until I finally broke the silence.
“Are you mad?”
“Should I be?”
“If not, that’s a relief.”
She remained calm and composed. She crouched down by the flowerbed under the wall, gazing at the flowers.
“As you know, I grew up as an only child. My father always wanted a son. He never said it, but I knew.”
I could imagine. Especially as the head of a martial arts clan, he would have been thinking about a successor.
Song Woo-kyung’s fondness for me likely stemmed not only from his friendship with my father but also from his desire to secure a reliable son-in-law as soon as possible.
“I tried hard to play the role of a son. I didn’t want to be a burden to my father or our family just because I was a girl. I was scared, but I endured it and went far away to learn martial arts for that reason. Though that turned out to be a mess.”
She had grown strong enough to talk about her master without hesitation.
“I don’t want to be a burden to anyone. Even if that someone is you.”
She had said something similar before.
I understood that such feelings were a limitation she imposed on herself.
In reality, no one thought of her as a burden, but it was a shackle she had created.
I didn’t tell her that. Limitations only hold meaning when one breaks them on their own.
“When I saw you with her earlier, I realized how I feel about you.”
“And how do you feel?”
She just smiled and didn’t elaborate.
“You told me that day, let’s see how things go.”
It was what I had said to her when we parted ways on the way to Shandong.
“Yes, I did.”
“Now, I really want to see how things go.”
Looking into her eyes, sparkling in the moonlight, I recalled a truth I had learned through my past and present lives.
Life isn’t about the destination. It’s about the journey.