72
"Come eat! Food's ready!"
The area in front of the guesthouse dining hall was always noisy.Long tables stood in rows beneath the low eaves, and from steaming rice pots and soup cauldrons drifted the rich, oily scent of food.Hoofbeats, the clatter of armor, and the scrape of bowls being pulled close mixed together, scratching at the morning air.
A steward standing at the doorway cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted again."Come eat! Food!"
His voice was rough, his accent foreign to this land.Yet every time the call rang out, the people scattered across the courtyard slowly turned their steps toward it.Hands lowering swords paused.Reins being tied were briefly stilled.Between battle and negotiation, that shout alone was equal to everyone.
The land was different, so the speech sounded awkward.The steward's cry cut through the courtyard like thunder striking the plain.
Park Seong-jin stopped as if pulled out of a deep dream.The sword tip hanging in empty air trembled slightly.The long, continuous flow of breath quietly broke.Only then did he realize—he had been breathing.
"Food…"He murmured softly and sheathed the sword.
As he returned to ordinary time, his fingertips were still warm, and a faint tremor lingered throughout his body.He had forgotten the sounds of the world for too long.
Then, from a nearby rise, a low chuckle reached him.Turning, he saw Yi In-jung standing with his hands clasped behind his back.A wordless smile rested on his face.
"Commander…"Park Seong-jin greeted him with an awkward smile.
Yi In-jung walked down slowly."It's a good thing you stopped when they called you to eat. Otherwise, you'd have gone on another half sijin."
"Has that much time passed?"
"Yes."Yi In-jung nodded and looked him over from head to toe.
"You feel light, don't you?"
"Yes. Strangely so."
"That's study."Yi In-jung's voice was low and clear."When the body is tired but the mind grows lighter—that's why we call it study."
He lightly tapped Park Seong-jin's shoulder."I told you—when the breath changes, the person changes. It's all written on your face now."
Park Seong-jin bowed his head.Heat still lingered in his cheeks, but his eyes were noticeably calmer.
"Thank you."
Yi In-jung shook his head."There's nothing to thank me for. That's something you learned on your own. I merely… stayed beside you so you wouldn't collapse. What you've embodied is yours. That's called chehoe (體會)."
At that, Park Seong-jin let out a short breath.It scattered into the morning wind.
From afar, the steward's voice rang out again."Hurry! Before it gets cold!"
Yi In-jung laughed lightly."Let's go. Study, too, is done after eating."
The two walked side by side.Sunlight fell onto the muddy ground where snow had begun to melt.Their steps, their breathing, even their laughter felt far lighter than before.
Yi In-jung watched Park Seong-jin's back as he walked away.The shoulders carrying a sheathed sword still held a soldier's tension, but inside—a breath that no longer needed to be tightly held had already taken root.
It was something he had not seen while teaching.When correcting breath and standing close to keep him from falling, he had always looked forward.Now, he was looking at a back—like his own long ago, after passing the moment when the body began to move on its own, without words.
That boy, too, had now…
He did not finish the thought.Giving it a name felt like turning it into pride.This was neither achievement nor reward.It was simply a quiet confirmation that the time they had passed through was not wasted,a late-arriving sense of relief.
Yi In-jung grasped his sword, then let it go.As one rises higher, the things one can do with a sword grow fewer.Work is done with words, commands, documents, negotiations.There are many moments when the blade is no longer used directly.
Morning sunlight shattered across the snow.Within that light, the next generation was moving forward.
The two sat side by side and ate.The guesthouse morning was quiet.Only the steady rhythm of spoons touching bowls continued.
After a while, Yi In-jung spoke softly, food still in his mouth."We're going back."
Park Seong-jin looked up."Now, sir?"
"Yes."
Yi In-jung swallowed and continued."We'll take our leave today and leave everything else for later. These people do nothing but stall. They never reach a clean conclusion—just string together plausible words. They're skilled at dragging things out. Acting as if they might agree, then never actually consenting—that's their meanest trick. People shouldn't be like that. Yes or no must be clear."
He set down his chopsticks and smiled bitterly."Outwardly they speak of cooperation, but inside it's all calculation. 'Liaoyang must be returned,' 'Ssangseong can be discussed'—they just repeat that. In the end, it means they intend to wait. To wait until we grow tired first."
Park Seong-jin asked carefully,"They think we won't be able to hold out long?"
"Probably."Yi In-jung's voice dropped."Liaoyang has long supply lines and lies far from Gaegyeong. They think we can't sustain it. They'll wait for us to starve, to fight, to grow exhausted, and then withdraw."
He glanced down at his bowl and added slowly,"That's why there's no need to say more. Once we leave, they'll find another excuse to stall. That's worse than war. Harder than fighting is enduring."
Outside, the wind brushed past.The tent cloth stirred lightly, and morning sunlight fell across the table.The two men's shadows stretched long.
Park Seong-jin bowed his head."I understand."
Yi In-jung nodded once."Yes. Let's just prepare what needs to be reported when we return. This matter—this much is enough."
After a brief pause, he added,"It's sad, but this is as far as a jungnangjang of one state can go."
He set down his spoon and rose slowly.Park Seong-jin stood as well and bowed.
"Commander."
"Yes?"
"Even so… I've learned something."
Yi In-jung turned back."What is it?"
"My breath has grown longer. Deeper. Breath has joined my blade."
Yi In-jung could not speak for a moment.Instead, he lightly patted Park Seong-jin's shoulder once and walked out first.Morning sunlight fell across his retreating figure.
Steam was still rising from the table.Within that scent lingered battle, study, and the memory of a peace that had only briefly passed.