Dreams of the Past (2)
Song Hwarin and Byeok Lidan walked in silence.
I could sense it—Byeok Lidan was genuinely upset.
I understood his feelings. How could a young man, full of life, want to part with someone as fresh and lovely as Song Hwarin?
We followed them for a while until we found ourselves in a bamboo grove. It was a breathtaking sight, the kind that leaves you in awe.
Ah! This place…
It was the same bamboo grove where I had once awakened. It seemed that the places I had woken up in were the ones Byeok Lidan and Song Hwarin frequented.
As I had predicted, they emerged from the grove and arrived at a waterfall. This was another place where I had once awakened.
It was a moment of realization that these dreams weren’t just random.
Splash! Splash! Splash! Plop!
Byeok Lidan skipped flat stones across the water.
Song Hwarin watched him with a mix of guilt and regret.
“Do you really have to go? Can’t you learn martial arts from your father? He’s a master too, isn’t he?”
“My father wants me to surpass him. You know that, right? I have to take on the role of a son in our family.”
“Can’t I do that later? Don’t go! Please, don’t go!”
I stood a little distance away, watching the two of them.
Learning about this part of Byeok Lidan’s past tugged at my heart.
Suddenly, a conversation I had with Gwangdu long ago came to mind.
“Why are you so good to me? I was a terrible person before.”
“Because there was a time before that.”
“What?”
“You were a good person when you were young.”
This must have been the Byeok Lidan from that time. The person I saw now was nothing like the reckless man I had known when I first woke up.
What had happened to this child?
“Don’t be too sad, Dana. I’ll come home every year. We can see each other then, right?”
Song Hwarin’s words were sincere, but reality was different. She wouldn’t return until her martial arts training was complete.
“There’ll be other male trainees, right?”
”…Probably.”
“Not just a few, but mostly men, right?”
“Don’t worry. I won’t even glance at them. We were promised to each other before we were born, remember?”
“Damn it! You might not, but they won’t think the same!”
Splash!
Byeok Lidan threw a stone into the water, splashing his face and clothes.
It wasn’t just a matter of being young. I completely understood Byeok Lidan’s anxiety and heartbreak.
But he also knew there was nothing he could do about it.
“Don’t forget that I’ll be waiting.”
As I saw the longing in Byeok Lidan’s eyes, the sound of birds chirping reached my ears.
Chirrup, chirrup.
I awoke from my sleep.
It wasn’t intentional. This was the first time since mastering the Dream Lotus Technique that I hadn’t woken up at will. Usually, I could wake up whenever I wanted.
Perhaps the next dream would reveal the next part of the story.
Thinking of Byeok Lidan left me with a heavy heart. What would happen next…?
In any case, the story seemed to be pausing here, suggesting that the next dream would pick up not from the waterfall, but from some time later.
Even though I recited the Dream Lotus Technique’s incantation, I couldn’t fall asleep. I’d have to try again later that night.
I got out of bed for the first time in a while.
Cheon Soseon was drinking alone at an inn.
She was on her way back from visiting Ma Cheolgun, who had told her the money wasn’t ready yet. He asked her to wait a little longer.
‘Fool! Can’t even manage that!’
At this rate, she’d have to sell herself, just as Cheonwanggun had suggested.
Time was of the essence.
She hadn’t found any weaknesses in Cheonwanggun yet. On the contrary, he was growing stronger and more malevolent by the day.
Just then, a young man she had never seen before sat down across from her. There were plenty of empty seats, so it wasn’t because there was nowhere else to sit. Even if that were the case, he should have asked for permission.
‘Who is this guy?’
Already in a foul mood, she felt a murderous urge to strike him down.
But when their eyes met, the murderous intent vanished as if it had never been there. His presence was overwhelming.
If he was this formidable…
Cheon Soseon thought of someone and was startled.
“Could it be you?”
The man smiled and said, “It’s been a while.”
Cheon Soseon recognized me.
We had met several times, but I had always worn a mask. Now, I was finally revealing my true face.
“Grandfather knew you were wearing a mask.”
Cheon Soseon still thought I was wearing a mask. She couldn’t imagine I was this young.
It didn’t matter. My identity was already known in the underworld, and those I needed to protect were under my care.
Cheon Soseon, on the other hand, was on edge about her identity being exposed.
“How did you know it was me?”
“In the martial world, no secret lasts forever.”
Cheon Soseon bit her red lips. This was a secret she had hoped would never come to light.
She might want to kill me with a swift strike, but she wouldn’t dare. I was much stronger than when she last saw me. Though I was within arm’s reach, I could evade her attack.
“Why did you come to find me?”
“Let’s join forces and kill Cheonwanggun.”
“What?”
Cheon Soseon was taken aback by the unexpected proposal.
“Are you asking me to kill my grandfather with you?”
“Your grandfather? Who?”
I knew Cheonwanggun had changed completely.
The fact that Cheon Soseon was sitting before me as a woman was proof enough. What kind of grandfather would expose his grandchild’s deepest wounds like this?
She was likely trying to kill or escape from Cheonwanggun.
“You’ll have to give up on the money you asked Ma Cheolgun for.”
“What?”
Her eyes widened in shock, realizing I knew even that.
“I’ll give you a day to think about it. Meet me here at the same time tomorrow.”
I stood up.
Cheon Soseon called out to me from behind.
“After we kill him, you’ll kill me too. Why should I help you?”
I turned to her and said, “Then you’ll have to give me a reason not to. If you want to live, you’ll have to try that hard, won’t you?”
That night, I returned to the dream world using the Dream Lotus Technique.
Chirrup, chirrup.
I awoke in the familiar field. As expected, the dream didn’t continue from the waterfall scene. Perhaps I had been forced awake because the moments to be shown were separated by time.
In the field, Byeok Lidan was practicing martial arts. It was clear why I often awoke here. Byeok Lidan frequented this place the most.
Swish, swish, swish!
Byeok Lidan swung his sword with determination. It was the Baekwol Sword Technique, a family martial art. It seemed some time had passed since Song Hwarin left for her training.
He was determined to become stronger, knowing Song Hwarin would return stronger.
Just then, someone came running toward him.
A smile spread across my face when I saw who it was.
“Young master!”
The boy who ran up, breathless, was none other than Gwangdu. He looked much younger than he did now.
“What’s the matter? Did a letter come from Hwarin?”
“No.”
Gwangdu replied to the disappointed Byeok Lidan.
“Now’s not the time to be training here! The leader of the martial alliance has come to Shandong.”
“The leader of the martial alliance? Here in Shandong?”
“Yes, and he’s coming to the Gokbu branch. Let’s go see him. The whole village is in an uproar.”
My heart sank at his words.
The leader of the martial alliance was me.
Could it be that I had a connection with Byeok Lidan?
“Let’s go, Gwangdu.”
“Yes!”
The two of them dashed toward the marketplace.
I followed them.
They arrived at the Gokbu branch of the martial alliance.
I couldn’t remember why I had come to the Gokbu branch at that time. Perhaps I had business in Shandong and stopped by.
The area around the branch was packed with people eager to see me.
“To think we get to see the leader of the martial alliance!”
“I can’t believe this is real.”
“If I could just shake his hand, I’d have no other wish.”
“Come on, how could you think of touching such a noble person? Wake up.”
“It’s just a figure of speech.”
“If it weren’t for our leader, the world would be in chaos.”
“Indeed. Our leader is a gift from the heavens.”
Listening to their praises was almost embarrassing.
At that time, I was in my sixties, having already stabilized the martial world. I was renowned as the greatest martial artist, having defeated the evil sects and unified the martial world. I had also dealt with opposition within the righteous sects and was actively working for the martial world’s peace.
I was a leader for the righteous and good people. Their beacon of hope.
“I can’t see well from here. Gwangdu, let’s go over there.”
Byeok Lidan ran to the balcony of an inn across from the branch. It was already crowded, but a spot opened up just in time.
“Young master, hurry up and get up there.”
Byeok Lidan climbed onto the balcony.
“I’ll go watch from the front. See you later.”
Gwangdu squeezed through the crowd.
Just then, cheers erupted from the front.
“Wow! The leader is coming!”
Several carriages were approaching from a distance. One of them stopped in front of the branch office, and I stepped out. Watching my past self from afar was a strange experience.
I waved briefly to the gathered crowd before heading into the building.
“Leader!”
“Wowww!”
Their enthusiasm made me wish I had greeted them more warmly back then. I should have taken the time to shake a few hands before going inside.
Of course, at the time, the Mengho Corps wouldn’t allow such actions for security reasons. But looking back now, I regretted it. I could have been a more approachable leader.
Throughout this life, I’ve realized that some things only become clear in hindsight. Things you could never understand at the time.
“Ah, truly impressive,” said Byeoklidan, his eyes filled with admiration.
A man standing next to him spoke up. “Young brother, it might look impressive on the outside, but the inside could be different.”
Byeoklidan turned to see a man smiling at him. He was strikingly handsome and charming, someone I didn’t recognize.
“What do you mean? Are you saying the Heavenly Leader is different on the inside?”
“That’s a possibility.”
“The Heavenly Leader would never be like that.”
“Oh, you have great faith in the Heavenly Leader. But the greater the faith, the greater the disappointment, you know?”
“No matter what you say, I respect the Heavenly Leader.”
I was secretly taken aback. I hadn’t realized Byeoklidan felt this way.
“Respect? What do you really know about him?”
The man was subtly provoking Byeoklidan. It would have been best to ignore him, but young Byeoklidan was getting drawn in.
“He possesses the greatest martial arts skills and has unified the martial world. Any warrior would respect him. My dream is to become like him.”
“Young brother, that dream won’t come true.”
“Why are you being so negative?”
“Dreams are called dreams because they don’t come true. If they did, would we still call them dreams?”
Byeoklidan found himself at a loss for words.
“Besides, even if you become the greatest in the world and the leader of the martial alliance, it doesn’t guarantee happiness.”
“You’re saying that even after becoming the greatest and the leader, one wouldn’t be happy?”
The man chuckled at Byeoklidan’s indignant question. “Is anything in life easy? Life is a journey of hardship, for you and for me.”
Byeoklidan looked at the man with a curious gaze, thinking he was quite an unusual person.
“Young brother, since we’ve met like this, shall we introduce ourselves?”
The man grinned and extended his hand.
At that moment, I woke up. The sound of birds faded away in the distance.
“Damn it!”
I realized something had gone wrong from that encounter. And I was certain—I hadn’t ended up in Byeoklidan’s body by mere chance.