444.forty seok is already more than enough for me.
Song Yi-sul tilted his head and said,
"Hey, Seong-jin. At times like this, you're supposed to make connections, secure yourself a seat or two. Try asking for a good position."
"Ah—"
Park Seong-jin slowly shook his head.
"A position? Commander with forty seok is already more than enough for me. It's excessive, really. When I was a company commander, I received thirty-three seok, and that was plenty to support my mother and younger siblings. To be honest, that much is enough."
Song Yi-sul clicked his tongue and laughed.
The laugh held both teasing and a trace of lament.
"Good grief. Your stubbornness—"
Park Seong-jin frowned slightly.
'Stubborn' is a word used when someone is miserly in how they treat people, isn't it? Restraining oneself with money and rank seems a different matter."
Song Yi-sul continued, eyes glinting with mischief.
"But how you treat money and position comes down to the heart in the end. Do you know how rare an opportunity like this is?"
Park Seong-jin drew in a deep breath.
His words were slow, firm.
"Brothers, I know well what it means to abandon the world and devote oneself to study. Whether it's martial arts, the Way, or attainment—
I know what remains at the end. That's why I speak this way."
He opened his palm.
"Having money is nice. You can eat meat every day, wear silk, walk through the market and show it off."
He paused, then gave a low laugh.
"But there's always a price attached."
Song Yi-sul narrowed his eyes.
"And what price would that be?"
"You have to offer up your life. When you can barely survive, even that feels precious. But when you look back later, you realize you gave away your best years."
Park Seong-jin continued.
"You tend appearances, read the room, give up your time, sit in places you don't want to be, twist your words. Live like that long enough, and it's your heart that wears out first."
Song Yi-sul snorted.
"Then fold up your pride. That kind of thing is a luxury if you're working under someone."
Park Seong-jin replied without wavering.
"If you only fold what can be folded, that's fine. But once it becomes habit, one day you'll fold away even what's inside you."
He lowered his gaze briefly, then raised it again.
"I saw it often while working with merchant guilds. Few people gain wealth and end up at peace. Trying to take more, families fracture, fights break out, even children are ruined. Money turns into a swamp that's hard to escape."
Song Yi-sul shot back,
"That's not money's fault. That's weak hearts."
Park Seong-jin nodded.
"Which is why I'm even more cautious. Everyone has moments when their heart grows weak."
A short silence passed.
Park Seong-jin gathered his thoughts and concluded.
"As I am now, I have enough. Even being a commander at this age is more than I deserve. I know how much a state invests to train a single soldier. When someone raised at such cost exceeds his measure, the price always comes back. That frightens me."
Song Yi-sul's shoulders sank slightly.
He studied Seong-jin's face for a long moment, then laughed toward the empty air.
"Now I understand why you always refuse. Your thinking is solid. There's nothing to worry about."
Park Seong-jin scratched his head.
"That's a bit embarrassing to hear."
Song Yi-sul waved a hand.
"Nothing to be embarrassed about. I thought you were retreating, but you were simply holding your ground."
Park Seong-jin smiled.
"Taking only what one can carry is enough."
The night air flowed quietly.
The noise of the battlefield and the heat of politics drifted far away.
Only the two men's breathing lay side by side.
After hesitating for a long while, Park Seong-jin spoke.
"If possible, I'd like to study somewhere without people."
He let his words trail off, gazing toward the ridgeline.
"Hwaju was good."
Song Yi-sul tilted his head.
"What was so special about that backwater?"
Park Seong-jin smiled slowly.
"It was quiet. No one bothered you for no reason. As long as you worked, there was no nagging. Those days were peaceful."
A faint longing crossed his face—
the look of someone who knows he cannot return.
Song Yi-sul shook his head.
"You'll have to choose your position now. They'll summon you to Gaegyeong."
Park Seong-jin's eyes widened.
"Gaegyeong?"
"Your merits are too great. They won't leave you alone."
Park Seong-jin's expression grew complicated.
"I can't do that. Not even if it's given freely. Commander—this is probably the highest post I'll ever hold."
Song Yi-sul spoke quietly.
"Once people grasp power, they all walk that road."
Park Seong-jin let out a sigh.
"That's why I intend to avoid it."
Song Yi-sul looked at him.
"…To the end?"
"To the end."
Park Seong-jin's voice was calm.
"Wherever I am, I want to live avoiding politics. As long as I don't lose my study, that will be enough."
A breeze passed between them.
The campfire flickered.