“...Did you say Bongmun?”
“Yes.”
Hwang Mun-yak, Sangdanju of the Eunha Merchant Guild, looked at Hwang Jongwi with an incredulous face.
“So... Mount Hua entered Bongmun?”
He asked again as if he couldn’t believe it and then let out a hollow laugh.
Hwang Jongwi also nodded, fully understanding his father’s reaction.
“It seems so.”
“Do you want me to believe that?”
“......I couldn’t believe it either, so I already verified it. The gate of Mount Hua Sect, which were never supposed to close, were tightly shut.”
Hwang Mun-yak’s wrinkled eyes widened.
“So... you’re telling me that Mount Hua really did enter Bongmun, right? Mount Hua? That Mount Hua I know?”
His voice was full of disbelief. Hwang Jongwi nodded again with a serious face.
“It seems certain. The rumor has already spread across the world, not only Shaanxi.”
“I see. Then it must be certain. It should be certain......”
“....”
“It should be, but......”
Hwang Mun-yak looked away with indescribable emotion.
Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp.
“Then....”
Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp.
“...What on earth is going on here?”
He looked with trembling eyes at the man emptying the huge feast like a storm.
If the Bongmun is true... How could this yangban be here......?
‘Is he a ghost?’
Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp!
Chung Myung, who had greedily torn off a large duck leg and emptied a bottle of alcohol in one gulp, set down the bottle with a thud.
“Keuu, now I’m alive.”
“....”
“As expected, one should come out to have proper food. Tsk. We should change Mount Hua’s cooks. Our meal was bland. Our meal.”
Hwang Mun-yak stared blankly at Chung Myung and opened his mouth.
“That... Dojang.”
When he called quietly, Chung Myung calmly turned his head as if asking why he was calling.
“Yes?”
“Just now... What I heard... Is it true?”
“Which one? Bongmun?”
“Yes. That, Mount Hua entered Bongmun.....”
“Yeah, it got annoying dealing with this and that, so I just closed the gate.”
There is no need to explain what questions Hwang Mun-yak had at that moment.
“Why?”
No... Sometimes people do need an explanation.
“If the sect is under Bongmun, how can Dojang be here...?”
“Oh, me?”
“Yes.”
“I just came out.”
“....”
Hwang Mun-yak grinned.
‘Let’s just not try to understand.’
It’s not like he has been through it once or twice, and now I’m just gonna have to.... but why would repeat the same thing every time he goes through this? A person should know how to adapt.
However, it seems that Hwang Jongwi still couldn’t let go of his doubts.
“I- If it’s true that the gates are closed, you shouldn’t be out here, should you?”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Why not?”
“....”
Why are you asking me why? You should be the one answering!
Chung Myung, who had gulped down more alcohol, wiped his mouth and spoke again.
“No, it’s not like we’ve committed a crime and thus entered Bongmun. We closed them because it was annoying to be sought out all the time, but there’s no reason we can’t come out, is there?”
“...N- No. Still, it is Bongmun.”
Chung Myung took the alcohol bottle and walked toward the door. However, even after holding the doorknob, he did not open it immediately and hesitated slightly.
“That....”
“Yes, Dojang.”
“Please don’t worry. Mount Hua and the Eunha Merchant Guild are good friends.”
Hwang Jongwi tilted his head at the unexpected statement. But Hwang Mun-yak smiled broadly as if he understood what Chung Myung meant.
“If you say so, there’s nothing more I could ask for.”
“Yes. Then.”
Chung Myung, smiling back at Hwang Mun-yak, opened the door, and went out.
Tak.
When the door closed, Hwang Jongwi frowned as if he had no idea what was going on.
“.....Why did he come?”
“Why, you say....”
“It feels like he said some things, but there was no real objective in it, is there? It’s something worth asking, but it’s not something we won’t do just because he doesn’t ask. There’s no need for him to take the trouble to come outside while the sect is under Bongmun....”
“Jongwi. In a person’s words...”
“Yes, Father.”
As Hwang Mun-yak’s voice became serious and firmer, Hwang Jongwi straightened his posture.
“The true intention (??(眞意)) contained within is more important than the outer shell. Especially for a merchant, you must understand the true feelings hidden in the words.”
“....”
“Dojang is just here to give greetings.”
“Greetings? Was it to leave greetings before entering Bongmun?”
“No.”
Hwang Mun-yak shook his head. His calm voice echoed.
“He came to say goodbye to someone he won’t be able to meet again.”
“...Fa- Father?”
Hwang Mun-yak said with a smile.
“Isn’t he such a warm-hearted person? It seems he’s worried about us, now that they’re about to enter Bongmun. Even though I’m sure this old man is not as great a man to Mount Hua anymore....”
Hwang Mun-yak knows that.
He probably won’t live long enough to see Mount Hua’s gate unsealed. He’s already lived beyond his time.
And Chung Myung seemed to have guessed that as well.
“I have no regrets. In fact, it is a life that should’ve already been lost, but thanks to the help of Dojang, I’ve seen more than my fair share.”
“Father....”
“Should I have worries, it would be only about you and the Merchant Guild. I’m sure Dojang has guessed as much. If I had closed his eyes in the midst of Mount Hua’s sudden Bongmun, I wouldn’t have been able to rest in peace because of the concerns of you and the Merchant Guild. He came to me on purpose and told me not to worry.”
Hwang Mun-yak, who was talking slowly, closed his eyes gently.
‘He’s exactly how a Taoist vessel (??(道器)) is.’
He knows.
Within the coarse actions of Chung Myung, there actually lies an incredibly warm heart.
“I’m worried about Dojang.”
“...That person?”
“A chaotic era is coming. The world is already changing.”
“....”
“How much more pain will that considerate person receive in such a turbulent world?”
Hwang Mun-yak let out a low sigh.
“If one does not know grace, one is no better than a beast. Jongwi.”
“Yes.”
“Help both that person and Mount Hua, not just as the leader of the Eunha Merchant Guild, but also as a human being.”
“...I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good. That settles it.”
Hwang Mun-yak smiled brightly.
It’s a shame that he can’t witness Mount Hua and the top of the Eunha Merchant Guild rule over the world. But there’s no lingering regret because he can imagine it even without seeing it.
“The Great Phoenix waits for a thousand years to take flight just once. I’m looking forward to seeing how high Mount Hua Sect will fly when they come out of Bongmun.”
“So am I, Father.”
“Hahaha. But before that, we have to do the work entrusted to us by Dojang properly. It will be busy. Let’s hurry up.”
“Yes, Father.”
Leaving the room, Hwang Mun-yak looked at the gate where Chung Myung had left, and above it, the towering figure of Mt. Hua.
“Eventually... flowers will wither.”
Nevertheless, knowing that the day will come when it blooms again, he can look at the withering flower without being sad.
“Take care, Dojang.”
A warm smile blossomed on Hwang Mun-yak’s lips, etched with the traces of time.