Aftermath - The Dispute (2)
Chang Il-nam’s livelihood was on the brink of collapse.
He had hoped to learn the trade of fishing to make ends meet, but every time he boarded a boat, seasickness overwhelmed him, leaving him incapacitated. Finding a way to earn a living seemed impossible.
For now, he was scraping by, relying on Nam-ong’s generosity, but he knew he couldn’t continue like this forever.
“I have no choice.”
In the end, Chang Il-nam decided to tackle his financial woes in the way he knew best.
Nam-ong questioned Chang Il-nam.
“You want to take on students and teach swordsmanship?” “Seems like the only way to put food on the table.”
In truth, establishing a martial arts school on Haenam Island and teaching swordsmanship had once been Nam-ong’s dream. A man who had faced many trials abroad and returned as a martial arts master—setting up a school in his hometown and gaining fame was indeed a splendid dream.
However, Nam-ong had never pursued this plan because of Chang Il-nam.
With a martial arts master like Chang Il-nam around, it would be laughable for someone of Nam-ong’s modest skills to start a school.
Just as Nam-ong was about to give up on his dream, Chang Il-nam took the initiative. Nam-ong was ready to live vicariously through his mentor’s endeavors.
“Master, what will you name the school?” “School? No, it’s not going to be anything grand. Just teaching a few locals some sword skills and making enough to eat is all I need.” “Well, since you’re starting, you might as well do it right. Who knows how things might turn out?” “Hmm.”
After a moment of hesitation, Chang Il-nam suggested, albeit uncertainly.
“How about Haenam School?”
Naming it after Haenam Island was a rather uninspired choice.
But Chang Il-nam couldn’t think of anything better. A name too grand would be pretentious, while one too humble might not attract anyone. Nam-ong didn’t mind either.
“Simple and nice.” “Right?”
Chang Il-nam carved the words “Haenam School” onto a wooden sign and hung it under the eaves of Nam-ong’s house.
However, not many people came to Haenam School. It was only natural, given that Chang Il-nam, who didn’t inspire much confidence, was trying to recruit students for his makeshift school.
Of course, there were a few who couldn’t resist their curiosity and came to see Chang Il-nam, but their reactions were less than enthusiastic.
Just when Chang Il-nam was about to take down the sign, an unexpected turn of events changed the future of both him and Haenam School.
The catalyst came not from Chang Il-nam or Nam-ong, but from a conversation among the village women.
Gathered for laundry, the women chatted away. One of them, with a hint of concern, spoke to the woman next to her.
“Mrs. So, I heard your third and fourth sons are learning swordsmanship from Mr. Chang?”
Mrs. So replied indifferently.
“Yes, they are.” “Do you think that’s wise?” “Why?”
The first woman, with a touch of pride, continued.
“You know my eldest spent some time away at sea, right?” “Of course.” “Though he’s back now due to financial troubles… Anyway, while he was away, he learned martial arts at Hongilmun. The instructor there was excellent. He said he understood everything easily and felt his skills improving rapidly.” “Hmm, and?” “Recently, my son tried learning from Mr. Chang, but he said Mr. Chang didn’t seem very skilled. He couldn’t even tell what he was learning. If you want your kids to learn martial arts, you should send them to sea. Leaving them with Mr. Chang won’t do any good.”
Mrs. So scoffed at the suggestion.
The conversation among the women was interrupted by the arrival of Chang Il-nam and Nam-ong, who had just returned to Haenam Island after a trip to Sichuan. They immediately sensed something was amiss. The air was heavy, and the streets were eerily empty of children.
“Master, something seems off, doesn’t it?” “Indeed.”
As they looked around, Nam-ong spotted his friend, Im-seom.
“Seom, what’s happened in the village?”
Im-seom, his voice filled with anger, replied.
“Pirates have shown up. Those bastards. They should be crushed…”
Pirates were a common threat near Haenam Island. They lived on small uninhabited islands nearby and occasionally raided the coast for loot.
However, it was rare for pirates to target Haenam Island itself. The island wasn’t particularly wealthy, and there was little trade to attract them. The pirates had no reason to antagonize the locals.
“Pirates on Haenam Island? What could they possibly want?”
But Im-seom’s story took a different turn.
“Apparently, some pirate leader has been rallying the others. He’s learned some martial arts and is making a name for himself. Their numbers have grown too large to hide on an uninhabited island, so it seems they’re planning to make Haenam Island their base.”
“Huh.”
Nam-ong frowned. He had never liked pirates. They were the reason for many of his life’s struggles.
“I’m sorry, I can’t assist with that.”
“There’s no way we can handle them. They’re not just any group. There are over a hundred of them! And their leader is said to be quite skilled…”
“Don’t worry. Yong-ha, you stay here for now.”
“Understood.”
Im-seom was bewildered. He couldn’t understand where Chang Il-nam’s confidence came from. After all, everyone on Haenam Island knew Chang Il-nam’s skills were lacking.
While Im-seom was lost in thought, Chang Il-nam went inside and quickly returned.
”…The sword is gone. The one I left at home, where did it go?”
The situation was so absurd that Im-seom couldn’t help but sigh.
Having been away from Haenam Island all winter, how could someone who didn’t even bring a sword call themselves a martial artist?
“The pirates must have taken it. There’s no way anything valuable would be left at home.”
“True, that makes sense.”
Nam-ong offered Chang Il-nam his sword.
“Master, would you like to borrow my sword?”
“No, it’s fine. You have your own tasks.”
The situation was getting out of hand. Im-seom closed his eyes tightly. Was Chang Il-nam really planning to face the pirates unarmed?
“Mr. Chang, what do you plan to do when you find the pirates?”
“I’ll try to talk to them. If they can be persuaded, great… If not, well, there might be a bit of a scuffle.”
“A scuffle? It won’t just end with a scuffle!”
Im-seom’s voice was so loud that a few villagers gathered around, curious about the commotion. The argument between Im-seom and Chang Il-nam continued, drawing more attention.
The villagers finally understood the situation.
They tried to dissuade Chang Il-nam.
“Mr. Chang, please calm down. Im-seom is right.” “We know it’s frustrating, but there’s no need to rush into danger.”
Others also tried to reason with Chang Il-nam, but no one could change his mind.
In the end, as Chang Il-nam and Nam-ong headed north, the villagers whispered among themselves.
“Mr. Chang isn’t foolish. He won’t really confront the pirates. He’ll probably just make a show of it and come back.” “But what if he does confront them? He’s lost his children, after all.” ”…Then we’ll have to help him. The pirates might understand that much. Let’s follow them.”
The villagers, hearts pounding with anxiety, followed Chang Il-nam and Nam-ong.
But the villagers’ expectations were completely off. Instead of turning back at the pirate hideout, Chang Il-nam and Nam-ong walked straight into the pirate camp.
”…”
It wasn’t just one or two pirates who noticed them.
The pirates, in the middle of a heated discussion, all turned their attention to Chang Il-nam.
The villagers thought to themselves.
This is going to be a disaster.
Chang Il-nam approached the man who seemed to be the pirate leader and began talking.
The distance was too great to hear the conversation, but it was clear from the atmosphere that things weren’t going smoothly. It was only natural. No one takes hostages with the intention of letting them go easily.
Eventually, the pirate leader burst into laughter and drew his sword.
This was exactly what the villagers had expected, but then something unexpected happened.
Chang Il-nam’s shoulders seemed to slump, and then the pirate leader’s head twisted at an odd angle.
With a thud, the pirate leader collapsed and stopped moving.
”…?”
No one saw exactly what happened. But it seemed as if the pirate leader’s jaw had moved to where his crown should be.
”…!”
With incomprehensible shouts, the pirates dropped their bowls and stood up, drawing their weapons as they advanced on Chang Il-nam. Their numbers easily exceeded a hundred, possibly reaching a hundred and ten or even a hundred and thirty.
Jang Il-nam stood alone, staring at the sword once wielded by the pirate leader, lost in thought. Yet, in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to pick it up.
Instead, he clenched his fists tightly.
And Im Sim finally grasped the meaning of the “difference” Jang Il-nam had spoken of.
It was a strange battle, to be sure, but not a ruthless one. The word “conflict” seemed more fitting.
The next day, the ranks of the Hae-nam faction swelled significantly.