Chapter 19: For A Father's Sake
There was a good reason Yu Gyeongseong and Maeng Heum both looked over at the same time.
They'd sensed someone approaching.
They could feel someone walking up to them. And they were heading straight for their table. Since there was no one else sitting nearby, it was obvious who they were here for.
'Who's this?'
What Yu Gyeongseong saw was a middle-aged man he'd never seen before.
Then again, with his memory, there weren’t many people he had seen before. But still, it was a new face.
He sized him up in an instant.
White hair, deep wrinkles carved into his face.
The man looked pretty old.
And that gait, that posture, that aura...
'Not a martial artist.'
Just an ordinary cult member then.
The older man walked up and greeted Yu Gyeongseong with a big smile.
"Squad Leader Yu!"
His voice was full of warmth and gratitude.
Yu Gyeongseong looked at him calmly and asked. "Do I know you?"
"Of course you do!"
Even though Yu Gyeongseong pretty much said he didn't remember him, the man's expression didn't change.
From that, Yu Gyeongseong figured they weren’t close friends or anything.
So what was this about?
The explanation flowed from the middle-aged man's mouth.
"A while back, my son was being seriously bullied by a Squad Leader from the Rock Demon Clan’s Strike Force, and you cleared my son's name, Squad Leader Yu. When I heard that bastard had been thrown into the Brain Prison, I was so grateful..."
Maeng Heum, who'd been listening quietly from the side, lit up.
'A Rock Demon Clan’s Squad Leader...'
Throwing someone into the Brain Prison wasn't common, so it was easy to remember this incident.
Plus, who had they just been talking about?
Speak of Cao Cao and he shall appear.
Wasn't this about Dong Gong?
From the looks of it, this middle-aged man must be the father of that regular member who had the bad luck of crossing that asshole.
"......"
But there was no response to the heartfelt story.
Seeing Yu Gyeongseong just sitting there silently, Maeng Heum realized his mistake.
'Ah! What was I thinking?'
Of course he doesn't know what to say. He doesn't remember it.
So Maeng Heum quickly stood up in his place.
Maybe because it was an official matter related to his duties, his attitude was more serious than usual.
"Ah, so you were the victim in that case."
The middle-aged man nodded in confirmation, and Maeng Heum continued.
"We took that case very seriously. You must have been quite worried."
“Yes. To be honest… I was terrified. It was good that the Law Enforcement Hall punished him... but I couldn’t stop thinking that once that bastard got out of the Brain Prison, he might come after my son for revenge.”
It was a difficult situation.
Moreover, that’s a problem that happens quite often, but wasn't easy to prevent.
"Yes, I understand. Our Law Enforcement Hall does try to watch out for such things, but I can see why you'd be scared."
Truth was, if someone at the level of a Six Demons Clans’ Squad Leader really decided to make a move, the Law Enforcement Hall couldn't stop them.
They didn't have the manpower to watch over every single case like that, and they didn't have the power to prevent it in the first place.
But he couldn't exactly be honest about that, could he?
"But I heard recently that Squad Leader Yu personally dealt with that bastard!"
The middle-aged man tried to smile through his worry.
Was it fatherly love?
His face was smiling, but tears were streaming down his cheeks.
He seemed happy that his threat was gone.
'Heh...'
Maeng Heum knew what had happened to Dong Gong.
Someone's tragedy had become someone else's greatest happiness.
He understood how the victim felt, but it was also awkward to celebrate with him.
I guess you just have to call it a good outcome.
"I'm so grateful, I want to buy you a drink!!"
"No, please, that's not necessary... We were just doing our job."
But despite the polite refusal, the middle-aged man immediately raised his voice and ordered drinks.
And Maeng Heum heard exactly what he ordered—
'...?!'
He'd just ordered one of the most expensive drinks on the menu.
Gulp.
He tried to keep his inner feelings from showing in his voice.
"Oh no, you really don't have to go this far..."
“No! Don't say that… If I don't thank you properly like this, I won't be able to look my son in the eye. Please, accept it, for my sake.”
"Come on, it's really fine..."
That's when the silent Yu Gyeongseong spoke up.
"That Rock Demon Clans’ Squad Leader, his name was..."
Maeng Heum quickly picked up the thread.
"Dong Gong."
Did he not even want to hear that name?
The middle-aged man's body trembled.
Yu Gyeongseong looked at him and asked. "Squad Leader Dong has been crippled."
"......"
“Was that the right thing to do?”
His flat tone somehow sounded inhumanely detached.
Did it send a chill through the man’s spine? After hesitating for a moment, the middle-aged man hurriedly answered. “…You did the right thing. Y-Yes! You absolutely did the right thing!!”
His voice came out loud, almost like he was trying to convince himself.
"I see. Understood."
Just then, the drink they'd ordered came, and the old man quickly grabbed the bottle.
“Here, let me pour you a drink.”
Yu Gyeongseong silently raised his cup.
The expensive booze trickled out, carefully filling the cup.
Gulp.
Maeng Heum's adam's apple twitched as he watched.
And just as he was about to raise his own cup to receive his share, an arm suddenly shot out to stop him.
"I'm the one who solved this case, so shouldn't I be the only one who gets a drink?”
Unable to bring himself to curse out loud, Maeng Heum could only glare furiously with his eyes.
Yu Gyeongseong turned away from him and looked at the middle-aged man. "This one cup is enough. Please take the rest with you."
The middle-aged man hesitated.
It was like Yu Gyeongseong knew what he was thinking, because he added. "This one cup... I’ll drink this out of respect for you being a father.”
Yu Gyeongseong downed all the alcohol in the cup in one go.
Maybe he just looked like he wasn't going to take no for an answer?
The middle-aged man left with the bottle.
“Alright. Well then…”
He went back to his seat and sat down for a while, then left the tavern shortly after.
As soon as he disappeared, a growling voice burst out from Maeng Heum. "Oh great! How do you feel after drinking that expensive booze all by yourself?"
He'd been watching the middle-aged man out of the corner of his eye the whole time.
Maybe because it was such expensive alcohol, even after returning to his seat, the man didn't drink a single cup.
I mean, even a senior squad member like me has only had that drink once in my life. How could a civilian afford to drink something like that? He definitely broke the bank because he was grateful. And probably because he wanted us to look out for him from now on, too.
"......"
His rambling continued, aiming it all at the jerk who cluelessly chugged the good stuff by himself and then acted like nothing happened.
“We see all kinds of horrible shit working at the Law Enforcement Hall, and get cursed at left and right, but you know what gives me a little comfort sometimes? It's exactly moments like this! AND. YET! You just stole the one, tiny, once-in-a-lifetime joy from a guy who works his ass off…”
That's when Yu Gyeongseong’s voice cut him off flat.
"So you think that was genuine?"
For a second, Maeng Heum thought, 'What's he talking about?'
“And this has nothing to do with the fact that it was expensive booze?”
At that pointed remark, his voice rose involuntarily.
"Squad Leader! What do you take me for..."
But his voice was cut off once again as Yu Gyeongseong suddenly raised his hand.
Maeng Heum flinched at the sudden movement, but then his ears perked up.
This jerk had just called over a waiter and was ordering that super expensive booze!
Then he gave Maeng Heum a look as if to say, 'Happy now?'
Oh man... Hey! You're not a jerk! You're my brother!
As if he'd never been angry, Maeng Heum quickly switched gears.
“You know, nothing beats peace of mind when we buy it with our own money! I wasn't planning to mooch it all anyway. I was just going to accept one cup to acknowledge his sincerity. Just like you, Squad Leader."
Yu Gyeongseong tilted his head.
"Our money?"
But he was not about to back down, his spirit soaring.
“Hehehe. What money is a lowly grunt like me gonna have! We got thanked today, so let's keep the good vibes going and get totally hammered!!”
Like a hawk snatching prey the moment it appeared, he grabbed the bottle and with flashy hand movements filled both cups to the brim the moment the waiter delivered the alcohol to them.
“Kyah… that's our Squad Leader! Got nothing better to spend his money on. Wouldn’t it be great if you were always this generous to your guys?”
Yu Gyeongseong chuckled.
His serious expression had relaxed.
“This is all team-building, you know! Gotta get our spirits up! If you get a big promotion after we do a great job, this little bit of cash is nothing! Wooo… drink up! Let’s drink!”
Maybe this was why he'd been close with this guy?
The suffocating feeling that had been pressing down on him finally felt a little lighter.
"Kyaa... Expensive booze really is different! But, Squad Leader."
"Mm?"
"Why did you accept that one cup earlier?"
If he was going to order the same drink anyway, wouldn't it have been simpler to just say no in the first place?
After looking down at his cup for a moment, a quiet voice flowed from Yu Gyeongseong's mouth.
"...I meant what I said."
Maeng Heum tilted his head.
"Hm? What did you say again?"
***
"Squad Leeeader! Thanks to you, I ate well! Then... see you tomorrow! Get home safe."
Maeng Heum had pretty much polished off the whole expensive bottle himself.
Yu Gyeongseong watched him go.
'When he says "see you tomorrow," does he mean he wants me to treat him again?'
A small laugh escaped him.
Somehow, it didn't seem like a bad feeling.
Even without his old memories, if such emotions could take root, there must have been good reasons why they'd been close.
Maeng Heum staggered slightly as he gradually melted into the darkness.
After watching him for a moment, Yu Gyeongseong started walking toward his quarters.
On the way, his eyes drifted over to the statue of the Heavenly Demon at the edge of the training grounds.
When the Sacred Flame is burning, you can probably see it perfectly even at night. But now that the flame was out, it looked like the statue was hiding behind a curtain of darkness.
"......"
His steps stopped.
His thoughts seemed to travel out with his gaze, past the statue, and just disappear into the air.
'...Where are you?'
Did the Six Demons really put you under some kind of seal?'
Just how much power did you use on the Great Law?
Looking at the way things were going, meeting the Cult Leader seemed pretty much impossible, especially not before the fight with the Sword God.
All of a sudden, he remembered his talk with Maeng Heum.
[So why are you still here, Squad Leader?]
[Guess my faith wasn’t that strong, huh?]
Even though he knew better than anyone that Yu Gyeongseong had received special treatment from the Cult Leader, he’d told him to leave.
‘...’
Yu Gyeongseong found himself reflecting.
Why do I keep worrying about the Cult Leader?
Because I am a believer?
Or because I heard I was the Cult Leader's person?
Or maybe because he used the Great Law on me?
Because of that, I lost myself...
So is it still right for me to be looking for him?
"......"
He didn't know.
***
Early the next morning, the old man went straight to the Law Enforcement Hall, still holding the bottle of booze.
He was summoned to the Law Enforcement Hall Master's office.
Or rather, after the middle-aged man had waited while the Hall Master rushed over.
He’d only just gone to sleep when he got a report that woke him up and made him rush right over.
“You’re the one?! The one who turned himself in?”
"That's right."
Where had that nervous demeanor from the tavern gone when he'd been so intimidated by the Law Enforcement Hall’s Squad Leader?
He maintained a confident posture before the Hall Master.
It was the look of someone who had nothing to lose
"Say it again!"
"I..."
The father's eyes flashed.
"I’m here to report that I have killed Yu Gyeongseong, the Fifth Squad Leader of the Law Enforcement Hall!"