Chapter 1642
So, Are You Enjoying This? (1)
Ho Gamyeong opened his eyes and covered his face with one hand.
Was it a dream?
An old story—so old it should have faded by now.
The memory was vivid enough to grasp, yet inevitably blurred by time.
Cold air brushed the tip of his nose. It was early dawn. Ho Gamyeong was used to waking at this hour. Since that day, he had not wasted a single morning.
As he slowly raised his upper body, the blanket slipped from his chest.
His gaze fell upon himself.
A lean body, crisscrossed with scars.
They could not compare to those carved into Jang Ilso's body, but each scar was unmistakable proof of the life Ho Gamyeong had lived since that day.
Having survived all those years, he now stood on the threshold of the final struggle—one that would decide control beyond Gangnam, all the way to Gangbuk.
And so he had to ask himself.
Am I still… cool-headed?
The phrase was a mantra.
Something to be upheld even at the moment of death.
It was a means to an end—but also the first rule, one that took precedence over every goal.
Ho Gamyeong lay still with his eyes closed. The silence of the room felt heavier than when he slept.
How much time passed like that?
When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was dark.
Tap.
Stepping down from the bed, he opened the door. A servant who had been waiting immediately approached.
"Your meal—"
"No. Prepare my clothes."
His cold eyes passed over the servant, fixed on something far beyond.
"I must see Ryeonju."
His voice was resolute.
The manor was not large. Compared to Sapaeryeon's main base, it was insignificant. It took little time to reach Jang Ilso's quarters.
Yet upon arriving before the pavilion, Ho Gamyeong halted.
He looked up at the sky.
It was still far from dawn.
The night sky was the same as it had been that day.
But what of the people beneath it?
Were they truly the same?
Memories surged.
Fierce battles against terrifying foes. Wounds that brushed death. Frantic escapes. The day the name Maninbang was first proclaimed.
The youth called Ho Gamyeong had become a man in his prime.
The Baekgwidang that once clung to a Guizhou back alley had become Maninbang, then ruler of Guizhou, and finally Sapaeryeon—the hegemon of Gangnam.
No one believed it.
Not even Ho Gamyeong.
Yet Jang Ilso had achieved it.
And because of that, Ho Gamyeong could live without regret.
Not because of their accomplishments.
But because Jang Ilso remained Jang Ilso.
As long as that was true, even if they were still crawling through Guizhou's alleys, Ho Gamyeong would have no regrets.
Because Jang Ilso was Jang Ilso—
Ho Gamyeong could be Ho Gamyeong.
"…."
A faint sigh escaped him.
After staring at the pavilion for a moment longer, he moved forward.
The guards bowed deeply. Normally, they would at least pretend to stop him.
Not today.
Seeing this, Ho Gamyeong's expression hardened as he stood before the door.
"Ryeonju. It's Gamyeong."
No answer came.
Without waiting, he grasped the handle.
The guards flinched but did not interfere.
Entering Ryeonju's quarters without permission was punishable by immediate execution.
Only one man in Sapaeryeon was exempt.
Click.
The door swung open. Cold night air poured in.
Ho Gamyeong stepped inside and closed it.
Darkness pressed down upon the room, pierced only by weak lamplight.
The scene overlapped with his first meeting with Jang Ilso.
Though the room was now neat and furnished, the air felt just as acrid and desolate.
His gaze was drawn instinctively to one place.
A corner untouched by lamplight.
There, amid the deepest shadows, a blue ghost flame bloomed between swaying red lanterns.
The flame was intense enough to steal his breath.
A chilling fire, tangled with emotions too chaotic to name.
"…Ryeonju."
"…Gamyeong?"
"Yes."
Ho Gamyeong nodded.
"What is it, at this hour?"
He did not answer immediately.
The ghost flame flickered.
Footsteps sounded, and Jang Ilso emerged into the dim light.
Plain white robes. No makeup.
The Jang Ilso Ho Gamyeong knew—
And yet, somehow unfamiliar.
Ho Gamyeong watched him approach and asked,
"Did you not sleep?"
"I woke early."
"…I see."
"I asked what the matter is."
A faint growl edged Jang Ilso's voice—familiar, yet oddly discordant.
Ho Gamyeong said nothing, merely looking at the barren corner where Jang Ilso had been standing.
"You should rest more comfortably."
Jang Ilso fell silent. After a brief but heavy pause, his voice softened.
"There were too many thoughts."
It was the Jang Ilso Ho Gamyeong knew.
"I needed time to整理 them. But you still haven't answered me."
"I came to see if you were well, Ryeonju."
"Well?"
"Yes."
Jang Ilso stared—then laughed.
"…I don't know whether I'm childish or you've grown old. You worry too much."
He sat down.
"Tea? Or a drink?"
"No."
"Tch. Sit down. It's annoying to look up."
Ho Gamyeong remained standing.
Jang Ilso narrowed his eyes.
"…So you didn't come just to check on me."
"…."
"If you have something to say, say it."
Ho Gamyeong studied his gaze.
Goodwill. Trust.
And something else.
"Ryeonju, do you remember?"
Jang Ilso frowned.
"I had a dream."
"A dream?"
"Of when we first met."
Jang Ilso chuckled.
"An unpleasant memory."
"You told me to remain cool-headed. No matter the situation."
Ho Gamyeong closed his eyes, then opened them.
"Those words have guided me ever since. Even when I failed, I tried to uphold them."
Jang Ilso nodded lightly.
"True."
"So tell me—have I met your expectations?"
Jang Ilso studied him, doubt flickering.
"Why ask this now?"
"Is it difficult to answer?"
A long sigh.
"Yes. You've exceeded them. Without you, I'd be rotting in Guizhou."
Ho Gamyeong nodded.
"This morning, I asked myself if I am still calm."
"…."
"My answer was no."
His eyes darkened.
"So I intend to regain it. It was your first command."
Jang Ilso rubbed his temples.
"Enough. What are you getting at?"
"Then how about you, Ryeonju?"
"…What?"
"What I asked of you was not obsession or power—only calmness."
Jang Ilso stiffened.
"So I ask again. Do you have it now?"
His eyes trembled.
"What are you trying to say?"
Emotion leaked through his voice—the Jang Ilso of the past.
Ho Gamyeong inhaled slowly.
"Do you know why I say I'm not calm?"
"…Answer me."
"I asked first."
"…What?"
Ho Gamyeong's gaze hardened.
"Have you maintained your composure?"
Silence.
"No—let me ask properly."
Two images overlapped in his eyes.
The ruler of Gangnam.
And the reckless man of the past.
Everything was the same—
Except one thing.
"So…"
His voice was steady.
"Are you enjoying this?"
Jang Ilso's expression changed instantly.
A blue, ghostly hostility flared—something Ho Gamyeong had never faced before.