116 Why Park Seong-jin Was the Exception
That night, no one explained it aloud inside the barracks.But the calm eyes watching Park Seong-jin examined him carefully.
He was keeping his breath contained.Just as he had learned in the mountains, he did not force the flow to stop, nor did he allow it to overflow—he simply let it settle.That subtle balance revealed itself clearly to those gathered there.
Beginners usually fall into two paths.Either their power rushes ahead of them,or they try to imitate power they do not yet possess.
Park Seong-jin was different.
He knew he had strength, yet he did not use it.And more importantly, he accepted the choice not to use it without effort.
From the deepest corner of the barracks, a man briefly closed his eyes and opened them again.
An impressive one.Someone had already read how far Park had progressed.Just as his master had sensed the mustard-seed-sized presence within him, perhaps more than one person here had noticed it as well.
His master, Iwol-gun, had read him that way—and now there were others who could read him similarly.
For warriors, progress reveals itself through breath.Even without standing close, one can sense a person's level through the vibration left by their steps.
Those intoxicated by newly gained strength,those who mistake a small awakening for mastery—their breath always leaps ahead, with the mind scrambling after it.That imbalance eventually shatters their center.
Park Seong-jin was not like that.
His lower abdomen was quiet.Not completely empty—but within that stillness stood a clear direction.
Still a seed.But one ready to take root.
Jang Han, the man who had first summoned him, silently sat back down.Their judgment was already complete.
They had not kept him for his strength.They kept him because they were certain his breath would not collapse.
What the special unit sought was not an arm that could cut down enemies at once.They sought a center that would not waver even after passing through the battlefield—a breath that could endure to the end.
And Park Seong-jin already possessed that.
That was why they accepted him.
Precisely because he was a beginner.Because he was not yet hardened.Because his form was not yet fixed.Because he had not yet been stained by the world's ways.
A breeze brushed past the outside of the barracks.Without thinking, Park adjusted the grain of his breath to match it.
At that moment, the man in the deepest corner muttered softly,"Yes… that's mountain breath."
No one continued the thought aloud.But everyone understood.
That was how Park Seong-jin became a member of the nameless special unit—not because he had already proven himself,but because they judged that he carried a breath that someday would.
The Sungui Army Barracks
Though assigned elsewhere, Park Seong-jin made his way to the Sungui Army's Second Detachment barracks.It felt like home.A place where bonds thicker than blood had once been forged.
"Hey!"A patrolman waved from in front of the barracks.
He had a round face and an all-too-familiar smile.The memory of his once-frightened expression surfaced.Now he wore the face of a seasoned soldier—still naïve, but practiced.
"Patrolman, have you been well?""I've been eating, sleeping, playing—eating, sleeping, playing. And now I look like this."
The patrolman laughed, patting his belly.Park laughed with him.
"You look good. Prosperous. Fortunate.""I really should train more. At this rate, I'll get cut down."
At that moment, a head popped out from inside the barracks.It was Oh Jin-cheol.
"So you're still alive.""Yes. By luck."
Oh Jin-cheol simply nodded.That was his way.
Inside the barracks, unfamiliar faces began to appear one by one.Short explanations followed—who had died, who had arrived.Names flowed like history.
As when he had first arrived, people spoke of whose son, whose brother each man was.Every name struck painfully against Park's ears.Names still spoken, and names no longer called.
Each time the name of a fallen comrade was mentioned, his chest tightened slightly.
Should I have been here?The thought passed by before he could grasp it.
Then Dohyeon approached, waving an arm.It was injured, but his expression was unchanged.
"Is your arm alright?""Of course. It doesn't fully straighten, but it's usable."
Dohyeon twisted it deliberately and laughed.
"But I hear you've been assigned to the special unit?""Yes. The very group that pulled us out at Simsui."
Dohyeon's face lit up."I knew it. Swinging your sword every night—looks like it finally paid off."
He added playfully,"Next time we're in trouble, come save us again."
Park smiled and nodded, then replied,"If I'm on the front line, I'll be counting on your support fire."
The three of them laughed at once.
Oh Jin-cheol, who had stepped back inside, returned, clicking his tongue."Everyone's gone. All new recruits. I'm the only one left."
Park answered quietly, firmly,"Then make sure everyone comes back alive."
Oh Jin-cheol's face stiffened briefly.He glanced around and lowered his voice.
"Have you heard anything?""They say we're going all the way to the Black River. Where exactly is that?"
Oh Jin-cheol shook his head, his voice dropping further."That's not it. There's talk we're going to Jiangnan."
Park's eyes widened."Jiangnan?"
"They say the Yuan want us to wipe out the remaining White Lotus remnants together."
A pause followed.
"We don't really have a choice. If Yuan pushes, we move."
"Jiangnan…"
The word dispersed into the air.
Information mattered in the army,but this was a name too distant—almost another world entirely.Even Park's imagination struggled to reach it.
He stared at the tip of a spear and let out a short breath without realizing it.
He knew it.Leaving the shadow of the Sungui Army, he was stepping into a deeper darkness.
Leaving the Barracks
As he stepped outside, the noise of the Sungui Army returned—laughter, curses, clashing metal, horses snorting.The unmistakable signs of people living together.
Park took a few steps, then stopped.
The faces he had just laughed with floated back to him—the patrolman's broad grin, Dohyeon's teasing voice, Oh Jin-cheol's heavy silence.
Outwardly, nothing had changed.But the sensation beneath his feet was different.
The same ground, yet strangely lighter.The contact felt shallow.
This was not a place meant for him to remain.
He instinctively tried to regulate his breath—then stopped.He realized there was no need to suppress it here.
In this place, even scattered breath was acceptable.Any gaps were soon filled by the presence of others.
That comfort tightened his chest.
When did I start leaving this place behind?
It wasn't when the order came.Not when he was told, You're already in.
It had been earlier.When he learned the wind on Mount Guwol.The night the flow of the sword entered his body without a blade.
The direction had been set from then on.
The Sungui Army's banner caught his eye, fluttering in the wind.Beneath it, soldiers moved busily.
He unconsciously took a step toward it—then stopped.
He could return.A single word would be enough.
But he knew that if he did, he would go no further.
Park turned away.
The special unit's barracks lay at the edge of the Sungui camp,deliberately set apart.Fewer lights. Fewer shadows.
It looked close, yet felt far.
As he walked toward it, the surrounding noise faded.Laughter receded.Metal softened.Voices blurred.
In their place, breathing emerged.
Deep, steady breaths filled the space—breaths that continued without conscious effort.
Even without a fire, they recognized one another's presence.
In that moment, Park understood.
The Sungui Army was a place of training.A place where records and honors did not remain.A place where those who returned alive scattered as if nothing had happened.
He did not stop walking.
At the barracks door, there was no sound—yet the presence inside was unmistakable.
Park paused briefly.
He did not look back.
Whether what remained behind was longing, regret, or unfinished ties,he chose not to weigh it.
He let his breath settle once—did not grasp it, did not resist it—and pushed the door open.
Behind him, the time of the Sungui Army closed quietly.