Chapter 487

Chapter 487
## Chapter 487. Conditions of Hatred (5)

—

Guided by **Il-gak**, they located **Jin So-un**, who was perched on the rooftop of a Hwapoong Manor building. Vacant liquor flasks were scattered across the tiles, indicating an all-night bout of drinking without food.

“**Jin Si-ju**, it is time to stand,” **Il-gak** urged.

Yet, **Jin So-un** offered no reply, simply staring blankly into space as he continued to imbibe. He didn’t show the slightest flicker of awareness, completely lost in his own thoughts.

“**Dan-ju Jin**, a confrontation has broken out between the members of Hwapoong Manor and **Cheongryong-gak**.”

Only when Hwapoong Manor was brought up did his hand freeze, holding the jug mid-air.

“The residents of Hwapoong Manor wish to depart… however, given the current circumstances, fleeing is out of the question, is it not?”

If they permitted their raw feelings to guide them into an aggressive escape, they risked being accused of a far more severe transgression.

*Clack.*

Following those words, the bottle was lowered gently onto the roof.

“That is correct.”

Believing that **Jin So-un** had finally snapped out of his trance, **Gwak Su-san** pressed further.

“What is our next move? We cannot simply stand by and watch Hwapoong Manor face ruin, can we?”

Though dragged into the conflict against their will, they had survived the war against Blood Heaven Fort, and through that ordeal, they had come to see the deep devotion shared by the people of Hwapoong Manor. Even if their combat skills were lacking and their martial foundation was shallow, their noble morals and sense of righteousness eclipsed most Orthodox groups. Seeing such honorable people destroyed was something they wished to avoid.

Yet, shattering **Gwak Su-san**’s expectations, **Jin So-un** spoke with a voice completely devoid of warmth.

“There is nothing we can do. They must submit to the interrogation, clear their names, and remain under close watch.”

“……”

“Indeed. If survival is their goal under these conditions, they must refrain from any reckless behavior.”

Just as **Gwak Su-san** was about to angrily object to **Jin So-un**’s detached remarks—which made it seem like he washed his hands of the entire affair—he noticed **Il-gak** subtly shaking his head through a silent transmission.

—**Hoe-ju**.

Though fury surged within him, he held his tongue and simply observed. He truly had no superior alternative to suggest.

*Sh-sh-sh-sh—*

Suddenly, **Jin So-un**’s martial garments billowed outward, instantly releasing the pungent aroma of alcohol into the surroundings.

“I shall speak with the **Jang-ju-nim**.”

Witnessing this uncharacteristic demeanor, **Gwak Su-san** felt a heavy wave of dismay. The man’s current behavior was off-putting, yet beneath it all, a rigid and honorable spirit had always been apparent. Whether during the trials, at the academy, or deep within the Silent Forest, the individual he had previously shown himself to be was far more principled.

*‘Was he truly a person of only this caliber…’*

The attitude he displayed right now… regardless of the justification, was it not identical to the disingenuous adult behavior he so thoroughly detested?

As he began collecting the discarded flasks from the rooftop to settle his troubled mind, he noticed a group of youngsters flocking toward **Jin So-un**.

“Those children are…”

They were the youth who had arrived brandishing blades far too large for their small frames, boldly proclaiming their intent to fight alongside everyone when Blood Heaven Fort launched its assault. They were the very same kids who had desperately tugged at his clothes, pleading for a chance to join the fray.

“**Jin**, **Jin**, **Jin Dae-hyeop**.”

The young boy leading the group stepped forward, blocking **Jin So-un**’s path.

“…Th-there is something I must ask you.”

**Jin So-un** stopped his heavy stride and merely gazed down at the boy. Undeterred by the silence, the youngster pressed on with his inquiry.

“Was the **Dae-sa-jeo**… truly a mole? That cannot be true, right?”

The boy’s voice, though he tried to sound resolute, trembled with unshed tears.

“She wasn’t, right? The older folks claim she was an operative for the Dark Path or the Demonic Path… but they are lying, aren’t they? The **Dae-sa-jeo**… she wouldn’t join Hwapoong Manor just to play us for fools, would she?”

The child spoke while biting his lip so hard it bled to suppress his weeping, mirroring the way **Song Ye-seol** used to do, while the other children around him shielded their faces, desperately wiping away their tears.

“Did she honestly intend to trick us? The way she cared for us like we were her own blood, the way she gave us her confections while claiming she had no taste for them, and how she took the blame whenever we misbehaved… was every single bit of it a falsehood?”

“……”

Overwhelmed by the flood of grief, the boy finally broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Is it just because I am young and ignorant? No, it can’t be… what kind of spy would ever act like that?”

Strangely, the agonizing cries of the child struck deep into **Gwak Su-san**’s heart, despite him being a mere bystander. The sight was so painful that he wished to avert his gaze. Yet, **Jin So-un**, keeping his back turned, remained perfectly still.

“Hwapoong Manor… is a place I hold incredibly dear, but is it really important enough for someone to plant an agent here?!”

“……”

“Please? Tell me the truth, **Jin Dae-hyeop**! For as long as I can recall… the **Dae-sa-jeo** gave up everything for us! The **Dae-sa-jeo** who cherished Hwapoong Manor above all else… was she truly an operative who practiced black arts?”

In that brief instant, **Gwak Su-san** caught a glimpse. He noticed that **Jin So-un**’s hand, which had moved to comfort the boy by resting on his head, was shaking uncontrollably. The child sharply knocked **Jin So-un**’s hand away.

“Is the **Dae-sa-jeo** truly, genuinely a spy?”

Staring down at his discarded hand, **Jin So-un** replied in a hollow tone.

“I… do not possess that answer either.”

A moment later, the tremors that had consumed **Jin So-un**’s hand gradually worked their way up to his shoulders. He breathed out once more.

“I… truly do not know…”

Walking past the weeping children, **Jin So-un** moved toward the **Jang-ju** Hall, his shoulders quivering faintly from behind, evoking the image of a man desperately fighting back his own tears.

“Is it really unnecessary to put down the members of Hwapoong Manor?”

Responding to **Hwang Seo-yul**’s inquiry, **Yong So-ah** spoke.

“**Jin So-un** is going to have a discussion with the **Jang-ju**.”

**Hwang Seo-yul** tilted his head in confusion.

“Has he held a single conversation with that man since what happened to **So-jeo Song**?”

Had **Jin So-un**, while cradling the lifeless form of **Song Ye-seol**, not directed a terrifying, bloodthirsty aura toward **Yong So-ah**? It was difficult to imagine that **Jin So-un**, having displayed such immense hatred, and **Yong So-ah** had coordinated their upcoming plans.

“We had no such talk. I simply understand that he will execute his duties.”

Still, the explanation failed to satisfy him.

“Furthermore, how could you possibly foresee that **Jin So-un** would question your motives for aligning with us?”

While en route to meet **Jin So-un** at the behest of the regional leader, **Yong So-ah** had muttered a bizarre prediction. Remarkably, **Jin So-un** had posed the exact query **Yong So-ah** had anticipated, catching **Hwang Seo-yul** completely off guard.

“……”

Naturally, **Yong So-ah** had no desire to disclose every detail to **Hwang Seo-yul**.

“It was a mere deduction based on my understanding of his character. Nothing more.”

“Is that so?”

**Hwang Seo-yul** studied **Yong So-ah** for a brief moment before offering another question.

“Regarding **Song Ye-seol**… how were you aware that she practiced sorcery?”

“I merely harbored doubts; I lacked absolute certainty.”

“In that case, why did you not voice those suspicions earlier? Had you done so, we could have apprehended her beforehand and delivered her to the Murim Alliance for a proper interrogation.”

“……”

**Yong So-ah**, who had been responding with absolute detachment, suddenly paused.

“**Yong So-ah**?”

“To begin with, that kind of presence cannot be detected prematurely. It is no different from how we remained oblivious to **Heo Il-sik** of the Black Pavilion being an operative until he chose to expose himself.”

“I suppose… it truly is an incomprehensible technique. That sorcery… it was genuinely chilling and horrifying…”

**Hwang Seo-yul** underscored his point with a shudder.

“**Song Ye-seol**… or rather, the practitioner of that art… her true objective must have been **Jin So-un**, correct?”

In truth, she had never intended to prevent **Jin So-un**’s demise. **Jin So-un** was a variable whose destiny remained utterly obscured, a wild card that constantly disrupted orchestrated events. Because he had interfered with the path of the Mount Mosan Sect, an unforeseen death for **Jin So-un** had materialized. This was a destiny he had forged by his own hand, a consequence he was meant to endure completely. By allowing his death to unfold, **Yong So-ah** would have been able to keep the original timeline intact.

“…It seems that way.”

Yet, despite her intense loathing for impulsiveness and unpredictable variables, she had tolerated both and intervened to save **Jin So-un**. She could not fathom the reasoning behind her own actions. Nor could she explain the sudden wave of comfort that had washed over her in that exact instant.

Perhaps a small sliver of hope had formed within her. Much like what had occurred with **Gu Song-baek**. Phenomena that had never previously materialized were happening for the first time. That particular event had left **Yong So-ah** deep in contemplation over the preceding days. It was highly possible that such deliberations had given rise to unorthodox ideas and deeds.

It was unlikely that mere words or actions alone possessed the power to reshape the future. This was an approach **Yong So-ah** had tested on innumerable occasions. Up until this point, none of those attempts had culminated in a favorable shift—save for that solitary instance involving **Jin So-un**.

“Why would the practitioner target **Jin So-un** above anyone else?”

Even that remained a mystery to her. What **Yong So-ah** perceived were merely fragments of what was to come, not the underlying mechanics of the events themselves. **Yong So-ah** required confirmation. Just as **Gu Song-baek**’s destiny had shifted due to **Jin So-un**’s presence, she needed to determine whether he truly was a being capable of altering the grim future she foresaw.

“I must depart now.”

“Why the sudden rush?”

“I need to speak with him directly.”

“With whom? **Jin So-un**? I advise against it. Have you forgotten how many **Cheongryong-gak** swordsmen were injured trying to restrain that man?”

She needed to know if he truly possessed the power to alter destiny, or if he was merely a catalyst for chaotic, unfortunate anomalies born of pure chance.

“**Jin So-un** will seek me out regardless.”

“What?”

To obtain that answer, **Yong So-ah** had chosen to preserve **Jin So-un**’s life, knowingly accepting a multitude of future hazards.

“Representatives from the Murim Alliance Inspection Bureau are on their way.”

**Gongson Myeong**, who just forty-eight hours ago had possessed a gaze full of hope for the future, now stared at me with completely vacant, lifeless eyes.

“An inquiry will be launched, and your group must undergo verification once more. Regarding **Song**…”

His hollow stare felt akin to falling into a deep, dark abyss.

“Their primary objective will be uncovering the **So-jeo**’s background, though everyone within Hwapoong Manor will find themselves under scrutiny.”

One would expect him to rage against such an unjust and one-sided decree, yet he never broke eye contact with me, only blinking occasionally as though none of it mattered anymore.

“Even after the inquiry concludes, for the time being… or perhaps for an extended duration, you will likely remain under surveillance.”

I found myself devoid of further words. Nothing seemed appropriate to offer comfort. Realizing I had presented only bleak realities in a cold manner, I deliberately altered the trajectory of the conversation.

“Because Hwapoong Manor maintains no direct affiliation with the Murim Alliance, the strictness of their probe and watch will be relatively mild. Once the vetting is complete, you can resume your normal routines. Furthermore, there is no need to fret over the progress of the gold mine.”

The response to my lengthy explanation was brief.

“Is that so?”

A minimalistic reply.

“I understand.”

His tone was flat and empty, conveying a total lack of concern for such matters.

“…Should you have any inquiries, I will clarify whatever I am able to.”

The parched lips of **Gongson Myeong**, who had remained trapped in silence for a brief moment, parted slightly.

“Was there… truly no alternative to taking her life?”

“……”

It was the foremost question plaguing anyone who encountered a **Bokma-gwangin**. Yet, it was a dilemma for which no one had ever devised a different resolution. I could not bring myself to state the blunt truth. The knowledge I possessed was a reality earned only after countless hopes had withered and immense tragedy had unfolded amidst utter despair.

Thus, I chose to respond by blending a massive fabrication with a tiny shred of truth.

“While it remains largely unrecorded, there was once a faction that lost hundreds of lives attempting to… cure a **Bokma-gwangin**.”

**Gongson Myeong** had also personally witnessed the unnatural phenomenon that took place as the vessel perished. Though he might feel dissatisfied with my answer, he could not dispute that the action taken was necessary. Ultimately, the **Jang-ju**’s thoughts returned to the central issue.

“…Was her nature corrupted from the very beginning, or did she lose her way somewhere along the line?”

It mirrored the exact query the youth had posed before I stepped into the **Jang-ju** Hall. He was desperate to know if he had harbored a traitor from day one, or if his own shortcomings had driven the child to betray them. It was a self-punishing line of thought that would break the speaker’s heart regardless of the outcome.

Consequently, I once again withheld the truth known only to me.

“No details regarding that have surfaced yet.”

“…Is that so?”

Even so, **Gongson Myeong** fixed his gaze upon me intently, as if sensing that I held the answers he sought.

“I once gave that parentless girl my word that I would stand in as her father on her wedding day.”

Unable to withstand the weight of his stare, I pushed myself out of my seat.

“My apologies.”

**Gongson Myeong** made no attempt to stop me. Until the moment I exited the room, his form remained perfectly still, looking like a shell emptied of its spirit.

Departing from the **Jang-ju** Hall, I made my way directly to **Yong So-ah**. He was observing the carp swimming in a pond nestled within a partially ruined courtyard.

“You foresaw exactly what I was going to ask you, didn’t you?”

“……”

“Or did your precious foresight fail you this time around?”

**Yong So-ah** kept his eyes fixed firmly on the fish.

“What do you imagine I fear the most?”

“Do you really think I give a shit about that?”

“It is the burden of knowing what lies ahead.”

**Yong So-ah** turned those unnervingly clear eyes toward me.

“The visions I perceive are not objects to be manipulated, altered, or played with like playthings.”

I retain everything I perceive, hear, experience, and sense. It happens involuntarily, completely outside my control. Because of this, I hold the memories of my previous incarnation and recall the conclusion of this vast conflict more vividly than anyone alive.

“**Yong So-ah**, how can you be so certain of what you perceive—”

Furthermore, I am acutely aware that the primary reason the Jianghu ultimately collapsed under the weight of the Demonic Cult in my past life was because of **Yong So-ah**.

“You remain oblivious to the kind of end awaiting you…”

“You speak as though you have already witnessed it.”

“……!”

Recognizing my slip of the tongue, I quickly brushed past it as if nothing had occurred. **Yong So-ah**’s voice shattered the brief quiet that had settled over us.

“My certainty remained absolute. Right up until the incident with the Mount Mosan Sect unfolded.”

Struck by the slight tremor in his tone, I stared into his eyes as if mesmerized. His attention, however, had already drifted back to the water.

“The reason I spared **Gu Song-baek** had nothing to do with **Heo Gwan-jung**.”

“Then what was it?”

His gaze locked back onto me.

“It was entirely due to you, **Jin So-un**.”

A sharp breeze whipped through the space separating **Yong So-ah** and myself.

“The destiny of **Gu Song-baek** has shifted.”

“Which implies…”

“Declaring me incorrect is premature. Do you truly believe I have sat idly by without attempting to alter anything all this time?”

Even if it is flawed, the capacity to look into the future is a divine gift that anyone would covet. The moment such a power manifests, any individual would naturally fight to rewrite the tragic fates they witnessed. **Yong So-ah** was no exception to this rule.

“Even a minor alteration to a predestined path triggers a massive, unmanageable shift in the timeline. No lone individual can shoulder that burden.”

That insufferably proud **Yong So-ah** was speaking of forces so overwhelming that even he could not alter them. Yet, his explanations did nothing to quell the fury burning within me.

“If that is the case, why did you choose not to—warn me beforehand?”

**Yong So-ah**’s empty eyes pierced right into my own. A protracted, heavy quiet descended between us. I found myself completely unable to decipher the meaning behind his silence.

“You branded her a **Bokma-gwangin**… would a prior warning truly have altered the outcome?”

“……”

“Had an alternative existed, the reality of me ending **Song Ye-seol**’s life would never have materialized.”

Though my rage burned intensely, my chest tightened painfully at the realization that I lacked any counterargument.

“If no other path existed, then my decision was indeed correct. Furthermore, in order to preserve your life, **Jin So-un**—”

**Yong So-ah** abruptly halted mid-sentence. Watching his lips twitch in a manner completely uncharacteristic of him, the realization struck me once again. It was exactly like my previous life.

“I simply executed what was necessary.”

**Yong So-ah** embodied every single reason that forced me to loathe him.