Chapter 1175: A Man Who Can't Even Answer (Part 5)

It was a random statement. At least from Chung Myung's perspective. So, all he could do was tilt his head and gaze at Baek Cheon.

"What nonsense are you talking about? That I'm human."

"There are times when you don't seem like one."

"Are you cursing at me now?"

Baek Cheon chuckled.

'It probably sounds strange.'

They understood each other.

Chung Myung wasn't a perfect person. As a human being, Chung Myung was full of flaws.

His personality was abrasive, he was stubborn, and his self-confidence was sometimes excessive to the point of making mistakes. While he was sure about what he knew, he was remarkably ignorant in areas where he lacked knowledge. He didn't know how to consider circumstances when pushing someone, and he had no way of acknowledging anything that contradicted his own thoughts.

Because of these imperfections, Chung Myung might not have comprehended what Baek Cheon was saying. However, Baek Cheon's perspective was entirely different.

So, for all his problems, was Chung Myung an imperfect human? Baek Cheon didn't think so.

Despite his foul personality, Chung Myung didn't make enemies because of it. He might not know many things, but he delegated tasks he couldn't handle perfectly to others, trusting them completely. Although he could be overly pushy, ultimately, no one gave up or turned away because of it.

He didn't admit things contrary to his own thoughts, but in the end, he would prove that his thoughts were correct. Not entirely perfect, but the results were perfect. So, wasn't Chung Myung, the person who led to those results, perfect in his own way? Even if it differed from the perfection the world talked about.

That's why it was sometimes annoying. To pursue that kind of perfection. But...

"I just had that thought. That you're human too."

"That's nonsense."

Chung Myung didn't press further. Baek Cheon grabbed the discarded bottle and drank again. Seeing this, Chung Myung asked, seemingly amused.

"What happened to you? A neat guy like you doesn't usually drink."

"There are days like that."

"They say you'll die if you do something you don't usually do...."

Chung Myung, who was joking without much thought, stopped talking as if something had bothered him. Baek Cheon, with an indifferent expression, replied as if it didn't matter.

"Don't worry. I'll live longer than you."

"....Maybe."

Baek Cheon sneakily observed Chung Myung's complexion.

Perhaps Chung Myung didn't even know what he had just said. He might have thrown out some words without much thought, just to fill the silence.

But that's when a person's true feelings come out. If it were the Chung Myung from a few years ago, Baek Cheon definitely wouldn't have casually accepted and moved on with such a short statement.

He had forgotten. No, perhaps he was ignoring it more accurately.

Chung Myung was by no means a perfect person. Even if he were a perfect person, he wouldn't be 'omnipotent.' As a human, he had limitations, and ultimately, there were things he couldn't handle alone.

'I had no choice but to forget.'

Every time he thought that this guy couldn't handle it alone, that damn guy proved him wrong over and over again.

But Baek Cheon had to remember.

Just because he was a person who could handle didn't make his burdens lighter. Just because he trained excessively didn't make his hardships disappear, and just because he had been cut many times didn't make the pain of being sliced by a sword go away.

No matter how much you treat it, scars remain, and memories of pain don't disappear.

He had to remember. Even if others didn't, Baek Cheon had to remember.

As Baek Cheon stayed silent, Chung Myung spoke.

"Aren't you going to ask?"

"Ask what?"

"Isn't that why you came?"

"Why would I?"

Chung Myung looked at Baek Cheon with eyes that seemed to say he didn't understand at all.

"Didn't you come to ask me what I would answer to that damned idiot?"

"Not interested."

"Huh?"

"Not interested."

Baek Cheon answered indifferently and took a sip of the drink. Chung Myung frowned.

"Not interested?"

Baek Cheon, with a face showing signs of irritation, replied.

"If I wait, the answer will come on its own. What difference does it make if I hear it first?"

"Well, maybe you'll try to persuade me."

"If I persuade you, will you listen?"

"I won't."

"So then what am I trying to persuade?"

"Is that so?"

Chung Myung, with a face that seemed to have realized something, nodded. Then, soon after, he tilted his head with a face that seemed to say he still didn't understand.

"Then why did you come?"

"...It's not funny."

"What's not?"

"I'm your Sasuk, and you're my Sajil. We've been seeing each other every day for years in the same martial arts sects."

"...So?"

"But we still need a reason for sitting next to each other and drinking?"

Chung Myung looked at Baek Cheon with a dubious expression. It seemed like he was trying to explore his intentions. Apparently, he was visibly taken aback, probably because he had never heard such words before.

But Baek Cheon just felt annoyed.

"Just drink. Why do you need a reason for sitting next to each other and drinking together?"

His index finger pointed to the half-covered moon in the clouds.

"Look over there. The moon is beautiful."

"It's quite cloudy, though."

"That's what makes it beautiful."

"…Sasuk, did you eat something wrong for dinner?"

Baek Cheon chuckled softly.

Until now, he hadn't known. No, perhaps it was a gap that didn't need to be felt.

He couldn't remember the last time he had a conversation with this guy. No, he wasn't sure if there had ever been such a time.

"No, then why did you come?"

"Ha…."

Baek Cheon slightly twisted his face as if he found it troublesome.

"I saw a young kid like you looking up at the moon alone and trembling, so I took pity and came to keep you company. Well, because I'm your senior."

"…Did you really eat something wrong? It won't hurt if I hit you, right?"

"You're going to hit me anyway, you bastard."

"That's true."

Chung Myung, looking at Baek Cheon with an absurd expression, turned his gaze to the moon.

"Here."

Baek Cheon extended the bottle he was holding.

Staring at the suddenly offered bottle, Chung Myung slowly took it. Then, he tilted it to his lips.

Baek Cheon spoke as he momentarily looked at the moon.

"But…."

"You said you wouldn't ask."

"Not asking. Just curious."

"But did you really let go of your mind today? We call that 'asking'!"

Baek Cheon, as if it didn't matter, waved his hand and asked.

"Why go to such lengths?"

"Huh?"

"I know the reason. Roughly. What you're afraid of. But… why are you acting as if you alone should bear everything, even when it's something that everyone in the world should handle?"

Chung Myung let out a wry smile at that question. However, the smile that had appeared gradually faded from his face.

"Well…."

He naturally thought that those were things he had to do. But was it really?

Even in the past, Chung Myung had done his best. Although the methods might not have been entirely right, no one could deny that what he had done had ultimately saved the world.

But why did he act as if he had committed some crime, trying to handle all of this alone, as Baek Cheon said? He had done what he could. Even if he lied down and left the rest to others, no one would point fingers at him. Even if Cheon Mun was watching, he wouldn't blame him….

"Hmm…."

Chung Myung, who repeated his words and pondered for a moment, picked up a vague remark.

"I don't know either. Why I'm doing this."

"...Is that so?"

"Just, um...I think that's just the way it is."

Baek Cheon silently stared at Chung Myung's profile. And he thought. It's that face again. Those eyes looking somewhere far away.

"There's no one else to do it. If not me."

"...."

"Just… hmm."

Chung Myung scratched his head awkwardly.

"Actually, I'm not a person with a great sense of responsibility, nor am I someone who enjoys leading others. I'm just the kind of person who does nothing, interferes in others' business, and drinks in my spare time."

"Trash."

"...."

Chung Myung, who had been momentarily speechless, shook his head.

In fact, he wasn't just saying that. The past Chung Myung was really like that. In the peaceful world before the rise of the Demonic Cult, Chung Myung rolled around the Mount Hua Sect without doing anything.

That time was the most comfortable and enjoyable period of his life.

But how did it end up like this?

"Anyway, it's not like I want to be doing this."

"Then just don't do it."

"But that's not easy."

"Why?"

"There's no one else."

Chung Myung sighed with a gloomy face.

"No one else but me. If I don't do it and just let it go, no one will do it for me. No one can do it as well as I can."

"...."

"If I let go because I can't do it, it's clear that things will go wrong. But it's not easy to just watch it happen."

"...."

"As a result, I find myself taking on more and more tasks one by one."

If there was a little more time, maybe even now he would occasionally be carefree on Mount Hua. Laughing and joking with the Sahyungs, teasing each other, filling many things over time.

"But it's not like I want someone else to do it for me. It's just that this is something I have to handle."

Because the ones who should have done it for him were no longer here.

That's what Chung Myung thought.

Perhaps because he couldn't share what he had to do in the past, he was now left to bear all of this alone. If so, he had to accept and endure all of this as a natural consequence.

"So don't worry unnecessarily. If I feel like I've done enough and it's still not working, I'll just throw everything away. It's just that I don't feel like I've done enough yet."

As he kept rambling on, he felt like he was saying something useless.

Chung Myung awkwardly cleared his throat for no reason.

"Tsk. I've lost my taste too. Talking about this with Dong Ryong."

"You might die for real."

Chung Myung chuckled and took another sip of alcohol. He gulped it down as usual, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and his expression brightened a bit. His voice also became slightly louder than before.

"Don't worry. It'll be okay soon."

"Huh?"

"People have those times in life. It's just that there's a lot to think about."

"...."

"Give it a day or so, and something will become clear. Then it'll go back to normal, just like usual. It's too early to worry about me, Dong Ryong."

"You're talking nonsense."

Baek Cheon smirked.

A short silence fell between the two. It wasn't overly heavy, just a quiet silence.

Baek Cheon, who had been staring blankly at the moon, the night sky, or the clouds, just beyond something, slowly opened his mouth.

"I...No, if only we were a little stronger. Wouldn't your worries have lessened a bit?"

Between the two who weren't looking at each other, that quiet voice lingered for a long time.