Chapter 658. Investigating (3)
“What are you talking about?” Lee Seong-Hwi growled lowly. “Did you lose your sanity after being confined in here for too long?”
“I've always hated the way you talked to me, you know that?” Lee Hyeon-Ju retorted in a sharp voice. “And also despised how you never listened to other people. Don't you understand what I'm trying to tell you?”
“It's not about understanding you but more like I don't get it, okay?” Lee Seong-Hwi frowned deeply. “What do you think you can achieve by staying here? Did you develop a weird fetish or something? Like, do you get a kick out of people monitoring you?”
“...” Lee Hyeon-Ju glared at Lee Seong-Hwi in silence.
He raised his hands in a mock gesture of surrender. “Sorry, my bad. I was over the line.”
She sighed, then shook her head. “A man who didn't even bother to show up when my grandfather was dying suddenly appears before me and says he wants to rescue me? Did you think I'd be jumping up and down in happiness?”
“Goddamn it...!” Lee Seong-Hwi's face distorted to resemble a demon. “I didn't abandon my master, you know! It's just that that lunatic made a move sooner than we thought! That's all!”
“I'm not interested in your excuses,” said Lee Hyeon-Ju.
“Excuses, huh?” Lee Seong-Hwi gritted his teeth. “If only we had a little more time... It'd be Kang Jin-Ho, not my master, buried six feet under the ground!”
Lee Hyeon-Ju was forced to clamp her mouth shut after sensing something strange within Lee Seong-Hwi's voice. After the initial suspicion passed her by, she cautiously raised her voice again. “You... Could it be that you were in contact with my grandfather all along?”
“Wasn't just 'contact', Hyeon-Ju,” said Lee Seong-Hwi as he waltzed inside the living room like he owned the place. He leaned against one of the couches, then theatrically spread his arms wide open while throwing his head back. “Didn't you think it was strange? You know my master... Your grandfather, is not someone who'd fall that easily. Sure, they got him good. I won't deny that. I don't know if that was their plan all along, but... They hit him right when he was least expecting it. However...! If only they moved three days later... My master would still be here, drinking tea with us!”
“...” Lee Hyeon-Ju wordlessly stared at Lee Seong-Hwi before a sigh leaked out of her mouth again.
She did think something was strange with this coup attempt. Lee Hyeon-Ju didn't think her grandfather had enough power to overcome Kang Jin-Ho. And... Despite Lee Seong-Hwi's confident boast, Kang Jin-Ho would've still emerged victorious even if he had moved three days later.
'He's that type of a person, after all!'
Throughout history, some people were clearly favored by heavenly luck. Such individuals would always win regardless of their odds of victory and go on to rewrite history. And Lee Hyeon-Ju believed Kang Jin-Ho was one of those individuals, at least for the time being.
Even if Lee Seong-Hwi and Lee Jung-Geol had crafted a perfect plan, Kang Jin-Ho would've broken through in the end. Lee Hyeon-Ju had no doubt about that.
Despite thinking that way, though... It was also true that the one-and-only Lee Jung-Geol had fallen far too easily. Lee Hyeon-Ju knew her grandfather wasn't like that. Even if he couldn't win, Lee Jung-Geol would still ensure he'd take an arm or leg of his opponent before dying. So, for him to fall so easily and without offering much resistance, too?
Lee Hyeon-Ju initially thought that was due to the changing era... and that Kang Jin-Ho was simply too strong for her grandfather. Now that she thought about it some more, though... That didn't quite make sense.
“Did you say three days?” Lee Hyeon-Ju glanced at Lee Seong-Hwi and asked.
“Yup. That would've been enough.”
Lee Hyeon-Ju slowly shook her head. “Failing to earn that extra three days is due to your lack of abilities.”
Lee Seong-Hwi's expression distorted again. “Fine, I admit it. I failed to finish three days early and put my master in a box. It's my fault that my master is no longer...”
Grief quickly filled Lee Seong-Hwi's expression next. Lee Hyeon-Ju didn't fully trust him, but that expression didn't look fake to her. Lee Seong-Hwi used to be incredibly close to Lee Jung-Geol, after all.
Lee Seong-Hwi looked up at Lee Hyeon-Ju. “That's why I... At the very least, I gotta get you out of here. That's the only way I know of repaying my master for hiding my existence from Kang Jin-Ho right until his last moments...!”
“You sound all grown-up now.”
“...Anyone going through the same crap as me would have no choice but to grow up.”
“Even if you say that...” Lee Hyeon-Ju stared into Lee Seong-Hwi's eyes and groaned loudly. Those eyes were brimming full of bloodlust. If Lee Hyeon-Ju hadn't known Lee Seong-Hwi since their childhood, she'd have screamed and tried to flee from here. “What happened to you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You... Something about you feels off.”
“...Kek.” Lee Seong-Hwi slowly rubbed his face. “This is what happens when you join hands with the devil, Hyeon-Ju.”
“Devil? Wait a minute, you... Did you learn demonic arts?”
“I had no choice.”
“You're crazy!”
“Yup, I admit it,” Lee Seong-Hwi stood up, then stared straight into Lee Hyeon-Ju's eyes. “Yes, I'm crazy. However, as long as I get to kill Kang Jin-Ho, I'm willing to lose my mind several times over!”
“Why would you go this far?! It's not like he's done something unforgivable to you, so why?”
“This isn't about a grudge, okay?” Lee Seong-Hwi gritted his teeth. “It's not about him beating me up. It's not about my resentment for that defeat. No, I simply realized I can never be the best as long as that bastard is still alive! In that case... Shouldn't I join hands with the devil to trample and crush him!?”
“...Who gave you access to demonic arts?”
Lee Seong-Hwi didn't reply, but there was no need. Lee Hyeon-Ju already knew. She knew that only one person possessed a demonic cultivation manual in South Korea before Kang Jin-Ho appeared like a comet from the heavens!
“So, it was Kim Seok-Il. You even got into bed with that man?”
“Let's stop with this bullsh*t, okay?”
“You've really lost your mind, haven't you? Even if you wanted to defeat that man, how could you join hands with someone like Kim Seok-Il! Don't you know what kind of a man he...”
“You think my master wasn't aware?”
This time, it was Lee Hyeon-Ju's turn to shut up.
“That's what it's like in war, Hyeon-Ju. When foreign enemies invade, you gotta join hands with folks you wanted to rip apart only a few moments ago and fight back together.”
“...”
“As I said already, let's stop with this meaningless babbling, okay? Yeah, I know. You don't feel great about leaving with me. But I've no desire to let you tag along with me, either. So, we can go our separate ways. I'm granting you freedom, okay? You decide what comes after that. At the very least... You will escape from all this constant monitoring.”
Lee Hyeon-Ju firmly shook her head. “I'm not leaving.”
“Hyeon-Ju!” Lee Seong-Hwi mouthed her name in frustration as figurative flames burned brightly in his eyes. “Why are you insisting on staying here?!”
“Don't shout, okay? I'm being perfectly rational about this. It's you who's being idiotic.”
“What? I am? How did you figure that?”
“Simple. Let's say I did escape with you. However, what happens next? What can I do by myself in this country? The Martial Assembly has taken over South Korea, after all. Should I hide my identity and get a part-time job in a convenience store somewhere?”
“Oh? So, is that why you want to stay here?”
“No,” Lee Hyeon-Ju resolutely shook her head again. “They will stop monitoring me soon. They wouldn't want to keep wasting manpower and resources like this, after all. Once they realize I pose zero threat, surely they'll release me. When that happens... I'm going back to work.”
“Work? You mean... In the Assembly?”
“That's right.”
“You're insane!” Lee Seong-Hwi roared, fighting spirit rumbling dangerously out of his figure. “You want to throw your lot with the bastards who killed my master?! Have you lost your freaking mind!”
“No. I'm perfectly sane.”
“There's no way! You are insane!” Lee Seong-Hwi tightly clenched his fists. “How long has it been since my master, your grandfather, passed away?! Yet, you're already planning to work for them? That's not something a sane person would do. You... You are crazier than I am!”
Lee Hyeon-Ju sighed deeply. “Yes, you might be right. But... Didn't you say this before? That there are times in life when you must endure the madness trying to take over you? That's my situation. If I wish to keep living in this world, I don't have a choice but to work for them.”
Lee Seong-Hwi's expression shifted several times in that brief period. He glared at Lee Hyeon-Ju for what felt like an eternity before his lips parted in some difficulty. “It's not true, right? Tell me the truth, Hyeon-Ju. Your real plan is something else, right? Like, you're planning to assassinate Kang Jin-Ho...!”
“Wake up, Seong-Hwi!” Lee Hyeon-Ju rebutted him coldly. “You can't keep living in dreamland because reality has been too cruel to you. What were you saying about me and Kang Jin-Ho?”
Lee Hyeon-Ju suddenly laughed in dismay.
“You need to accept the truth, Seong-Hwi. That man is no longer someone you or I can do anything about. No, let me correct that. He's been like that since the very beginning.”
Back when Lee Hyeon-Ju first met Kang Jin-Ho... That day when she encountered Kang Jin-Ho's true self in that dark underground parking lot, she should've realized the truth. The truth about what kind of a creature Kang Jin-Ho was!
That moment, when she decided to use Kang Jin-Ho for her grandfather's gain, was when she sealed the fate for everyone.
“We dragged Kang Jin-Ho into the Martial Assembly's affairs. That man, he... He gave us multiple chances to leave him alone. We failed to heed that and even tried to oppose him. And now, we're paying the price.”
“Hyeon-Ju, you... You've changed,” Lee Seong-Hwi quietly growled.
“People change. Like you have. Even then, I'm still pragmatic. My head isn't stuck in the clouds like you.”
Lee Seong-Hwi sorrowfully stared at Lee Hyeon-Ju. During their brief exchange, he seemed to have aged several years.
“That's why you need to wake up, too. Seong-Hwi, it's time you accept reality. We can't do anything to that man. It's not too late for you to turn back. If you lower your head and express your wish to return to the fold, that man will...”
“Don't make me laugh, okay!” Lee Seong-Hwi angrily yelled. “You want me to lower my head to a man who killed my master and stole everything from me?! You want me to wag my tail like a dog so I can survive?!”
“If you don't want to do that, then... You should at least give up trying to fight him, okay? I don't want to lose you too, Seong-Hwi...”
“Don't worry, you won't lose me to anyone!” Lee Seong-Hwi took a step back. Just like how their physical distance had widened, they had grown apart in heart, too. “Now I know words won't get through to you. I understand Kang Jin-Ho has half-brainwashed you, too.”
“No, Seong-Hwi!”
“So, I'll show you. I'll show you the sight of the halo and the myth surrounding Kang Jin-Ho crumbling down. I'm looking forward to what you'll say to me... When I show up with that bastard's severed head in my hand!”
Lee Hyeon-Ju became speechless just then. Because she had realized something.
The person before her eyes was no longer the 'Lee Seong-Hwi' she knew. No, he had morphed into a spirit of vengeance blinded by his overwhelming desire for revenge! No matter what she said, nothing could reach his heart now.
“It's impossible, Seong-Hwi!”
“Nope. It is possible,” Lee Seong-Hwi cackled ominously. “You just sit back and enjoy the show. The show that I'll put on soon! The plan is already in motion, you see? So, keep your eyes open and watch. Get some good rest until that moment, okay?”
Lee Seong-Hwi turned around to leave.
Lee Hyeon-Ju called out to him. “Are you going to use the front door now?”
“Is there a reason I shouldn't?”
Lee Hyeon-Ju sighed. “If you still worry about my well-being, even if it's only by a little bit, think about what will happen to me if you harm those people outside. Please.”
“...” Lee Seong-Hwi turned his head and stared at Lee Hyeon-Ju, then changed his direction to one of the guest rooms.
“Thanks.”
Lee Seong-Hwi wordlessly walked to the doorway and grabbed the door handle. However, he suddenly stopped and stood there in silence.
“...Hyeon-Ju?” He finally muttered quietly to Lee Hyeon-Ju.
“Yeah?”
“...How did things end up this way?”
Lee Hyeon-Ju couldn't reply. That answer was not something she could provide.
“It's impossible to jump off a moving train without getting hurt, Hyeon-Ju. So, I... will ride this train until the end.”
Lee Seong-Hwi didn't wait for Lee Hyeon-Ju's response and opened the door. After entering inside, he silently closed the door behind him. He must be thinking of leaving through that room's window.
Lee Hyeon-Ju sighed quietly. As the coffee's aroma wafted in the living room, she felt so alone.
'That's what life is like...'
Natural selection always accompanied change. And to not fall victim to this selection process, one had to change. No one would hear you even if you stayed rooted in one spot and tearfully complained about how things were different back in the day.
Lee Hyeon-Ju bit down hard on her lip.
'I... I will keep surviving!'
Even if the world became too hard for her to keep watching, she swore never to turn her head away.
After waiting for a bit more, Lee Hyeon-Ju exited her residence through the front door. The martial artists guarding the entrance turned their heads and stared at her.
She sucked in a deep breath, then addressed the men.
“Please contact the person in charge for me. I have urgent news to share.”
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