WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Former Supreme ◈

Chapter 5: Assume Office (2)

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Im Chung, who had been examining the appointment order, looked startled.

"You used to be a squad leader in the Iron Sword Corps?"

The document only listed Baek Socheon's final posting in the Iron Sword Corps. That alone was enough to surprise Im Chung.

Beon Saeng, standing beside him, was even more shocked.

'The Iron Sword Corps?'

Ever since childhood, his dream had been to join the Iron Sword Corps. Of course, it had remained an unfulfilled dream. His gaze naturally settled on Baek Socheon.

"The Iron Sword Corps is the elite among the elite of the main headquarters. How did you get pushed all the way out here?"

Baek Socheon answered Im Chung's question calmly.

"Probably because I didn't work hard enough."

"Was that meant for those of us here?"

Baek Socheon returned Im Chung's earlier question word for word.

"How did you get pushed all the way out here, Branch Chief?"

Im Chung stared up at Baek Socheon.

'Look at this brat!'

The way he stared back without shame showed he was no ordinary fellow.

"I worked hard and still got pushed out here."

"Then I suppose you lacked ability."

It was the sort of thing that should have made him angry, but strangely, it did not.

For some reason, those disrespectful words suited Baek Socheon. Or perhaps it was his tone. His words clearly belittled the other person, yet his calm voice held no trace of contempt. Though they had only just met, it felt more like he was casually joking with him.

'He's no ordinary fellow.'

Neither Im Chung nor Beon Saeng knew anything about Baek Socheon.

Baek Socheon was known only among the elite martial artists at the main headquarters. Once he began to be demoted, an order was issued forbidding anyone from speaking of him. There was no way the martial artists of this backwater Wencheng Branch could know of him.

Even if they had, no one would have imagined that someone so remarkable would end up in a place like this.

Im Chung's gaze stopped at one point on the document, the part that always surprised everyone.

"What? You're thirty-eight?"

Beon Saeng cried out in shock.

"That's impossible!"

That was even more surprising than the fact that Baek Socheon had been in the Iron Sword Corps.

Beon Saeng was twenty-six. When he first saw Baek Socheon, he had assumed he was either younger than him or about the same age.

"Is this a mistake in the documents? Are you twenty-eight?"

Baek Socheon answered Im Chung's question.

"If it makes you more comfortable, you can think of it that way."

The way he said it made it seem as though he really was thirty-eight.

"If you haven't mastered a Youth-Preserving Art, you should thank your parents."

Im Chung asked another question.

"How skilled are you in martial arts?"

Normally, he would not have asked something like that, but Baek Socheon's history as a former Iron Sword Corps squad leader made the question come naturally.

"I was a good fighter once."

"And these days?"

"Terrible."

Beon Saeng, who had been listening, slipped into the conversation.

"What use is the past? If we're talking like that, I fought the Black Heaven Alliance Leader while riding a golden calf back in my day."

Baek Socheon nodded as if that made perfect sense.

"That's right. The past is only the past."

Since he agreed so readily, Beon Saeng felt more generous.

"Fortunately, there isn't much fighting to do around here. Let's get along from now on."

Baek Socheon was not exactly obedient, but Beon Saeng's first impression of him was not bad. It was better to have someone sharp like this than someone who watched the room and fawned over others. Someone like this was also more likely to be good at his job.

"All right, that's enough introductions. Squad Leader Beon will show you what you need to do from now on."

Beon Saeng left with Baek Socheon to show him around the branch.

Im Chung leaned his head back against his chair and muttered to himself.

"The Iron Sword Corps..."

Perhaps it was because of his former affiliation, but his bearing was no ordinary thing. If only five Iron Sword Corps martial artists like him were here, Wang Gon would not be able to look down on Im Chung so openly.

A renewed sense of regret washed over him.

* * *

Beon Saeng took Baek Socheon to the branch's rear courtyard. There was an empty detached residence there.

"You may be older than me and a senior in the Murim Alliance, but you're still a rank-and-file martial artist, while I'm a squad leader. So I'll have to act as your superior."

Naturally, the Murim Alliance was an organization where rank took precedence over age.

"Do as you please."

"Thank you for understanding. Still, how did you get demoted from squad leader?"

"I beat up my superior."

"...!"

Beon Saeng flinched and stared at Baek Socheon. When Baek Socheon nodded to confirm it, Beon Saeng resumed walking with renewed vigor.

"What's the point of dividing people into superiors and subordinates in a small branch like this? We're all family and friends."

As they crossed the courtyard, Beon Saeng stopped before a huge log set up for martial arts training.

Part of him wanted to ask Baek Socheon to cut it once. He was curious about the skill of a former Iron Sword Corps squad leader.

Of course, he did not dare say it.

Only then did Beon Saeng notice that Baek Socheon was not carrying a sword.

'Why did I think he was carrying one?'

Whenever he met someone new, he habitually checked their weapon first. He did not know why, but he had simply assumed Baek Socheon carried a sword.

"Do you use fist techniques, perhaps?"

"No."

"Then what martial arts do you use?"

"I won't use any martial arts."

He said it like a child stubbornly refusing to eat, making Beon Saeng glance back at him.

'What is this guy?'

By then, they had arrived at the quarters in the rear courtyard.

The lodging was better than expected. With a thorough cleaning, it would be perfectly fine for one person to live in.

"This is where you'll be staying. It may look shabby, but it faces south and gets plenty of sunlight. Rest well today."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. We're family now."

Beon Saeng turned to leave, then glanced back.

Baek Socheon stood in the middle of the courtyard, staring up at the sky. For some reason, his dazed figure, seen from behind, seemed lonely.

'No, what am I thinking?'

Beon Saeng's plan to give the newcomer an initiation had collapsed once he learned that Baek Socheon was thirty-eight and had belonged to the Iron Sword Corps. He should have properly put him in line on his first day.

'Fine. I'll put him in line tomorrow!'

* * *

Baek Socheon's life at the Wencheng Branch began the next day.

"The newcomer's job is to organize these documents."

To be honest, Beon Saeng felt uneasy dealing with Baek Socheon. Still, if he let himself be overwhelmed from the start, he would end up with another superior to answer to. That was why he emphasized that Baek Socheon was a newcomer.

Once Beon Saeng showed him how to sort the documents, Baek Socheon learned quickly.

'As expected. He's smart.'

Beon Saeng was satisfied. Even if he was difficult to deal with, it was better to have someone competent.

Still, there was a clear gap between what Beon Saeng thought counted as competent work and how genuinely competent Baek Socheon actually was.

As Baek Socheon reviewed the papers, he found something.

"Take a look at this."

"What is it?"

The document Baek Socheon showed him was a petition.

"These are petitions saying that the Great Righteous Sect has been harassing people. There isn't just one. There are several, all submitted by the same person."

The Great Righteous Sect was the Black Society of this region. A Black Society was not a martial arts organization, but a gathering of ruffians who extorted protection money from taverns, brothels, and ordinary merchants, while inserting themselves into various business interests to squeeze out more money.

"Oh, that? Combine the duplicates into one report and send it to the Zhejiang Division."

"And then what happens?"

"They analyze the reports sent up from each branch, then the District Headquarters sends down orders. They either tell us how to handle it or tell us to leave it alone."

"Why send it all the way to the District Headquarters and wait for it to come back instead of dealing with it here?"

"What do you mean, why? That's simply the established procedure."

Baek Socheon rubbed his chin and looked straight at Beon Saeng. The steady gaze made Beon Saeng take a step back.

"I'm telling you, I didn't make the rules. That's just how it is."

"This is terribly inefficient."

"That's because the District Headquarters treats local branches like dirt."

Baek Socheon suddenly spoke up.

"The people here should be more than capable of dealing with a Black Society."

There was no comparison between ruffians and martial artists to begin with. Even a third-rate martial artist was still a martial artist, while a Black Society was a gang of ruffians.

"You're saying that because you don't know the Great Righteous Sect. They have a lot of people, and their leader, Taejeong, knows martial arts. There are even rumors that he made quite a name for himself when he was younger..."

As Beon Saeng's explanation dragged on, Baek Socheon cut him off with a question.

"Do you take money from the Black Society?"

"What are you talking about? I don't take money from those filthy bastards!"

Beon Saeng jumped up in outrage, then let out a quiet sigh.

"We want to get rid of them too, but there are rumors that the Mythic Gang is connected to the Great Righteous Sect."

"The Mythic Gang?"

This time, Beon Saeng explained the Mythic Gang.

"...That's why we can't carelessly touch the Great Righteous Sect here in Wencheng."

He had given such a long explanation because he did not want to lose face before Baek Socheon, who had only just arrived. He did not want to look like a pathetic senior who could not even deal with one Black Society.

Despite all that effort, the result was something he had never expected.

Baek Socheon said calmly, "If that's why you can't deal with this petition, wouldn't it be better to take their money instead?"

"What?"

"You're martial artists of the Murim Alliance. If you're too afraid of them to help the residents, isn't it better to be unable to help because you took bribes? Don't you think so?"

"...!"

Baek Socheon tossed the document aside.

"If you know who submitted the petition, tell them something for me. Tell them not to submit things like this anymore because it's pointless. If we can't even do that much, shouldn't we feel terribly sorry?"

That evening, Beon Saeng visited Im Chung's office.

"Aren't you going home?"

"I should. What about you?"

"I should go too."

"You've been drinking. Did something happen?"

Beon Saeng was quite drunk. He had been upset over what happened that day and had drunk heavily. He had tried to swallow it alone, but it became too much, so he came looking for Im Chung.

Beon Saeng told him what had happened earlier.

"Listening to that bastard made me so angry. What does he know?"

"Why didn't you say something to him?"

"I couldn't. I couldn't say anything."

"Squad Leader Beon, don't let the Iron Sword Corps intimidate you."

"That's not it. It's not because he was from the Iron Sword Corps..."

"Then what is it?"

Beon Saeng sighed.

"Because what he said was right... I couldn't say anything."

They were martial artists of the Murim Alliance, yet the reason they could not help people suffering at the hands of the Black Society was because they feared those behind it. He felt ashamed of himself, thinking that perhaps it would be better to be a corrupt martial artist, just as Baek Socheon had said.

Im Chung stood and brought out a hidden bottle of liquor and two cups.

"Have another drink."

As he poured Beon Saeng a cup, Im Chung comforted him.

"Don't take it too hard. What does a stone that just rolled in know?"

Yet that stone had lodged itself firmly in Beon Saeng's heart.

"If we can't help them, where are the people being harassed supposed to go with their grievances? I feel so sorry for them. Damn it."

He had never said it aloud, but it seemed he had been deeply troubled by his inability to help those people. He had covered his guilty conscience with a cloth and tried to ignore it, but Baek Socheon had come and torn it away at once.

Im Chung understood Beon Saeng's feelings.

Im Chung had not even been posted here for a year, but Beon Saeng had worked at the Wencheng Branch for six years, ever since joining the Alliance. Naturally, Beon Saeng would have formed deeper bonds with the townspeople.

Im Chung quietly emptied his own cup.

He was not much different.

He had felt the same helplessness Beon Saeng was feeling today.

Honestly, he wanted to say this to Wang Gon.

"Your new business sounds fine. But remember this. Never do anything that harms the people of Wencheng. If you do, I won't let it slide."

He knew there was something suspicious about people trying to bribe him, yet he did not press them for answers. When they offered a Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Root to the chief of an unimportant branch, he knew they were planning some massive underhanded scheme, yet he pretended not to notice.

After several more cups, Beon Saeng shouted, "Damn it! Should we go over there and smash those Great Righteous Sect bastards?"

It was not courage. It was drunkenness.

"Stop talking nonsense and drink. Their underlings may be ruffians, but Taejeong is stronger than you. He might even be stronger than me."

"Damn it. To think we're weaker than the leader of a bunch of ruffians."

Beon Saeng emptied another cup. The target of his anger shifted elsewhere.

"That bastard! Now that I think about it, I'm annoyed again. So what if he was in the Iron Sword Corps? So what if he's older? What? It would be better to take bribes? That bastard! I won't let him get away with this."

Beon Saeng sprang to his feet and ran out.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to set him straight!"

Im Chung did not stop him. He thought it was something they had to get through at least once, and oddly, he was not worried. He had only known Baek Socheon for a day, but he trusted that Baek Socheon would handle it well. Perhaps it was because Baek Socheon was older.

Im Chung turned to look out the window. The moon shone brilliantly, but tonight it looked lonely, as if it reflected his heart.

The words Baek Socheon had said that hurt Beon Saeng applied to him as well.

Just because he had not accepted the Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Root, could he really say he lived with dignity?

Beon Saeng arrived at Baek Socheon's quarters, full of confidence.

'You bastard! Do you think I'm someone without a conscience or any guts? If you're so brave, you go save them yourself!'

His mind was full of words he wanted to hurl at Baek Socheon.

Baek Socheon was in the rear courtyard.

The moment Beon Saeng saw him, he stopped in shock.

Baek Socheon was holding a handstand on three fingers. He wavered as though he might fall, but he gritted his teeth and endured. The ground was soaked as if it had rained from all the sweat he had shed. How long had he been like that?

Even as he let out low groans of pain, he held on until the end. When Baek Socheon had endured to his limit and was about to collapse, he released the handstand and stood.

"What is it?"

Seeing him drenched in sweat as though he had been caught in the rain, Beon Saeng felt his drunkenness vanish at once. Shame flooded into the space it left behind.

At this late hour, a thirty-eight-year-old was training like that, while he, at only twenty-six, had come here drunk to make a scene. He had come to make the excuse that there were reasons for his cowardice.

'When was the last time I trained until I sweated like that?'

He remembered his childhood, when he had strived to become a martial artist. He remembered preparing to join the Murim Alliance, back when he had worked himself to the bone.

'...When did I give up on everything?'

Perhaps it was the shame that surged up from deep in his heart.

"If it's all right with you..."

With the same force he had intended to use to put Baek Socheon in his place, Beon Saeng spoke loudly.

"When we're alone, may I treat you as my elder brother?"

Footnotes:

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